Cantwell Pushes Back on Trump’s Bid to Defund Public Broadcasting

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2025– Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.,  denounced Thursday the Trump administration’s effort to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“President Trump's rescission package is another attempt to defund more than 1,500 local broadcasting stations across the country, including 13 in the state of Washington,” Cantwell said in a statement. “Millions of Americans, particularly in rural communities, will be cut off from local newsrooms, lifesaving emergency alerts and programs they love.”

PBS and NPR have fought back against the administration’s threat to cut funding by suing Trump for infringement on First Amendment rights May 30. Trump had issued an executive order on May 2 directing the CPB to halt financial support for NPR and PBS “to the maximum extent of the law.”

“CPB support is absolutely crucial for rural communities,” Cantwell’s emphasized in a release. “The average cost per American for public broadcasting is just $1.60 a year, and this funding supports 356 public TV stations and 1,190 public radio stations across the nation as of March 2025.” 

Cantwell’s release coincided with a recent Columbia University study, which surveyed 1,533 self-declared PBS viewers. The study found that 47.4% of respondents rated PBS as an “excellent value” for public dollars.

Notably, 54.5% of self-described “extreme conservatives” and 58.5% of “extreme liberals” surveyed said they consider PBS a major source of news and information.

“Those who watch PBS trust it for many of the reasons that President Trump claims it is untrustworthy,” the study said. “They trust it because of its public basis, they trust it because they perceive its news and children’s programming as unbiased, and they trust it because they have a personal connection.”