The National Religious Broadcasters organization is praising Congress’s decision to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, calling it a victory for Christian media and conservative values. In a statement released Monday, NRB President Troy Miller said the move “corrects decades of taxpayer funding for a system that often excludes or marginalizes faith-based voices.”
CPB, which has received hundreds of millions of dollars annually from Congress since its creation in 1967, provides funding to public television and radio stations across the country. Supporters argue it promotes educational, cultural, and local programming, but critics on the right have long claimed it fosters liberal bias and unfairly competes with private broadcasters.
Miller said the cut levels the playing field, especially for Christian broadcasters who don’t receive public money yet “serve large, loyal audiences without ideological gatekeeping.” He added that NRB supports programming diversity, but believes public broadcasting should no longer be federally funded, citing concerns about political imbalance and “elitist content” out of touch with many Americans.
Public broadcasting groups have warned that the funding cut could devastate rural stations and children’s programming, while some members of Congress have said alternative funding models should be considered. The Biden administration had requested continued funding for CPB in its budget proposal, but the final version of the spending bill passed by the House removed it entirely.
Miller acknowledged that some local public stations have served their communities well, but insisted that taxpayer dollars should not support “institutions that refuse to reflect the moral and spiritual fabric of our country.”
While the Senate’s version of the spending bill still includes CPB funding, negotiations are ongoing. NRB is urging lawmakers to hold firm in what it calls a “course correction long overdue.”