The moment of truth for PBS and public radio

The Trump administration is preparing to send a formal request to Congress to rescind $1.1 billion in funding for PBS and public radio, according to new reporting from Politico.

Harris, The Trump administration announced last week that it will formally request that Congress claw back $1.1 billion that had been previously appropriated to PBS and public radio — and we've now learned that a vote in the House of Representatives is planned for the week of May 5.1 The cuts "would devastate PBS member stations," according to PBS CEO Paula Kerger, and if just a simple majority in both the House and Senate vote yes, the money is gone.2 Demand Progress has already mobilized tens of thousands of people to speak out against these cuts, but this is the moment of truth. Will you make a donation to support our work, including our efforts to save PBS? If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately. Donate $20 Donate $40 Donate $75 Or, donate another amount Cutting funding for public broadcasting would be bad enough, but Trump is requesting that Congress actually take back $1.1 billion, or about two years' worth of funding. That would leave local PBS and public radio stations with the nearly impossible task of replacing a huge amount of money they'd been told they could count on.3 The stations that will suffer the most are those in rural and less wealthy areas, where in many cases the local public TV or radio station is the only reliable source of news and information. That's exactly why Trump is so hell-bent on defunding public broadcasting. It's just one more step in his authoritarian attack on the free press so that he can control what Americans see and hear. Thankfully, polls show that voters oppose cutting funding for PBS and public radio, and if we can flip just four Republicans to join the Democrats and oppose these cuts, then we win.4 That's why we're asking you today: Will you donate $20 to help save PBS, and push for other key reforms? With gratitude, The team at Demand Progress Action DONATE Sources: 1. Punchbowl News, "House Republican leaders eye rescissions vote in early May," April 21, 2025. 2. The Hill, "PBS president: Trump's proposed funding cut would 'devastate' network," April 14, 2025. 3. PBS Newshour, "Trump administration plans to ask Congress to defund PBS, NPR," April 16, 2025. 4. Pew Research Center, "Americans more likely to support than oppose continuing federal funding for NPR and PBS," March 26, 2025. Contributions to ActBlue Civics and Demand Progress Action are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Instagram or Twitter. Receiving too many emails from Demand Progress? You can opt to pause emails from Demand Progress for a month. And of course you can unsubscribe from this list at any time.