Schumer pushes against public media cuts

WASHINGTON, D.C. | As the Senate prepares to vote on President Trump's plan to withhold over $1 billion in federal funding for America's public radio and television stations, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer said the cuts would hurt children, rural areas, and emergency preparedness in every corner of New York. Schumer said that the GOP plan to strip funding from America's public broadcasting would decimate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations, including dozens in New York State. The senator broke down the impact of these cuts for Upstate New York public news outlets that receive funding from the CPB. "Our public TV and radio stations are the glue that keep so many of our communities connected & informed across Upstate NY and targeting them for radical funding cuts hurts all of Upstate. PBS and NPR and others are more than stations, they are a public service networks providing life-saving emergency alerts, educational content to children, and so much more at no cost. But right now, the GOP's devastating proposal to claw back federal funding for our public TV and radio stations could devastate these vital services ripping away millions leading to layoffs and cuts to beloved programs," Sen. Schumer said July 9. Funds for public broadcasting supports educational initiatives, rural areas, and disaster preparedness efforts across New York State. New York's public TV and radio stations send emergency alerts during natural disasters, develop educational content, license music from local artists, and more. Below is an edited list of recipients in Upstate NY that received funding from CPB, according to the NYS Association for Public Broadcasting, that would be at risk if the plan to defund public media were to become law with much of this funding making up a major percentage of these stations' budgets: In the North Country, North Country Public Radio (NPR) would lose approximately $315,000 each year, approximately 12 percent of its annual budget. NCPR is especially important for receiving local updates and timely weather alerts. Mountain Lake PBS also receives nearly $1 million, making up about 35 percent of its annual budget. Mountain Lake PBS provides local news, including life-saving emergency alerts to the Adirondacks and Champlain Valley that might not otherwise have local coverage and says cuts of this magnitude would threaten its existence. In New York State, dozens of recipients last year received more than $45 million in through the CPB, generating a significant local economic impact. According to NPR, the public broadcasting sector in New York supports nearly 4,000 jobs, including 1,125 direct positions, 1,271 indirect jobs through supply chain activity, and 1,321 induced jobs driven by household spending. This generated $122 million in direct labor income and added nearly $750 million to the state's GDP. The public broadcasting sector also contributed an estimated $177.1 million in tax revenue, including $33 million in state taxes and nearly $116 million in federal taxes. The CPB distributes nearly 70 percent of its funding directly to more than 1,500 locally-owned public radio and television stations – many of which are NPR or PBS affiliates – with the remaining going to shared infrastructure and services that benefit all public TV and radio stations. According to Northwestern University, nearly 55 million Americans have limited to no access to local news. According to PBS, 60 percent of its audience lives in rural communities, and its programming reaches more children than any of the children's TV networks in a year. If passed, the GOP proposal would further limit access to local news for communities who depend on information from their local radio and television stations for vital information and services, devastating local communities who would get hit first and hardest. Though historically, funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been approved with bipartisan support, the House GOP last month passed legislation at President Trump's request that would claw back more than $1 billion in bipartisan federal investments in the CPB. Trump also issued an executive order stating no money from CPB can go to NPR, PBS, or their affiliates which is currently being challenged in court. Trump's FY 2026 budget request completely eliminates federal funding and closeout CPB. Schumer and Senate Democrats will hold the floor Wednesday evening to highlight concerns with the bill.

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Schumer pushes against public media cuts

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