Senator Maria Cantwell is speaking out forcefully against a new move by the Trump administration to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The proposed cut, which targets funds already appropriated through 2027, has sparked alarm among public media advocates and lawmakers, who warn it would significantly damage local media access across the country.
Cantwell, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, responded swiftly following the administration’s formal request to revoke the funding. The money had been secured in March as part of a broader congressional budget deal. “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,” said Cantwell. “As a result, millions of Americans – particularly in rural communities – will be cut off from local newsrooms, lifesaving emergency alerts, and programs they love.”
The CPB funding rollback is part of a larger $9.4 billion rescission package aimed at reversing a wide range of federal spending. Cantwell described the action as both a legal overreach and an attack on nonpartisan public broadcasting’s role in civic life. “By clawing back our federal investment in non-partisan public broadcasting, the Trump Administration and Republicans are not only undermining laws on the books, but also the irreplaceable role public broadcasting plays in our communities,” she stated.
Opposition is building beyond Cantwell’s office. Public media leaders and bipartisan members of Congress have raised concerns about the impact of the proposed cuts, especially as legal challenges continue over related executive orders.
For the rescission to move forward, Congress must approve it within 45 days with a simple majority in both the House and Senate. That timeline is complicated by political resistance to other elements of the rescission package, including potential cuts to global health funding.
If enacted, the CPB cut could leave rural and underserved communities especially vulnerable, reducing access to trusted news, children’s programming, and public safety information. The proposal sets up yet another high-stakes battle between the executive branch and Congress over the future of public media funding.