Public Media Has Been Defunded: How You Can Help
Congress Approved the Rescissions Act
In July, Congress narrowly passed the Rescissions Act, canceling $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for Fiscal Years (FY) 2026 and 2027.
More than 70% of that funding would have gone directly to local stations like NMPBS, starting October 1, 2025, the beginning of FY 2026.
What Defunding CPB Means for New Mexico PBS
Approximately 18% of NMPBS’s budget comes from CPB funding. That funding directly supports:
- Local programming, including ¡COLORES! and New Mexico in Focus.
- Outreach to teachers offering free lesson plans.
- Free community screenings.
- Educational programming for kids.
But it’s not just our station’s annual CPB funding at stake. Stations across the country rely on CPB’s shared resources to distribute programming, deliver life-saving emergency alerts, secure music licensing, and provide educational services.
How CPB Funding Can be Restored
During the recissions threat, Americans across the country – including supporters of NMPBS – overwhelmingly opposed canceling previously approved public media funding.
That outreach has opened a potential door to restore CPB funding through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations process, and we’ll be working to build support in the months to come. When Congress returns in September, lawmakers will have only a short window to pass a stopgap measure or finalize its appropriations bills before the current fiscal year ends on September 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
If Congress doesn’t restore this funding, CPB will be forced to shut down, eliminating the organization that distributes federal support and dismantling the national infrastructure every public media station relies on.
How You Can Help
Your voice will be essential this September as Congress decides whether to restore federal funding for public media.
- Sign up for funding alerts from Protect My Public Media - Be the first to know when and how to take action. Visit protectmypublicmedia.org/join to get campaign updates as key votes approach.
- Check out Protect My Public Media’s August recess guide for ideas and opportunities to advance federal funding.
- Contact your Members of Congress - Go to protectmypublicmedia.org to email or call your Members of Congress. Tell them to restore federal funding for public media in the FY 2026 appropriations process.
Fast Federal Funding Facts:
- Public media stations are among the last locally owned and operated media organizations in the United States.
- Public media stations are the backbone of emergency alert system, distributing life-saving information to your airwaves and cell providers.
- Federal funding amounts to about $1.60 per person each year.
- Americans overwhelmingly support federal funding for public media. A recent poll from Pew Research Center demonstrates that Americans are twice as likely to support federal funding for public media than oppose it.
- Multiple studies, including a Government Accountability Office report, confirm that there is no replacement for the federal funding that keeps public media free and available to everyone.