On June 3, the Trump administration asked Congress to eliminate federal funding for public media. The request, called a rescission, would claw back funds Congress previously approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the next two years.

Congress now has up to 45 days to act on this request. Passage requires a simple majority in the House and Senate.

If lawmakers approve the package, it would be an unprecedented action against communities that rely on OPB and the entire public media system. It would destabilize the bedrock services only public media provides—at a time when local journalism across the country is suffering.

Passing this rescission package would pull the rug out from under local cornerstone organizations like OPB. It would wipe out previously approved funding—funds that organizations across the country thought they could count on to serve their communities.

The impacts would be severe and wide-ranging. Public media organizations remain some of the only independent, locally operated news organizations serving communities, especially those in news deserts. This is especially important as we make our stories freely available to everyone—never hidden behind paywalls.

This action jeopardizes our ability to lead the emergency alert safety net that keeps communities across our region safe. It threatens the public media system’s ability to share groundbreaking educational programs such as Nature, Frontline, and Nova. People living in rural and remote areas would be especially hard hit, since federal funding helps cover the costs of serving people in difficult-to-reach places.

For OPB, it would eliminate funding representing around nine percent of our annual budget, roughly $5 million per year.

Here’s what we’re doing at OPB:

1. We’re working closely with members of our congressional delegation in Oregon and southwest Washington to make the case for how our work serves the public.
2. We’re staying focused on service to our communities. We’re continuing to expand our journalism, particularly in rural areas, with more digital offerings and meaningful in-person experiences to bring people together.

Here’s what you can do to help:

1. Contact your members of Congress to express your support for public media. Find your members’ contact information here.
2. Visit protectmypublicmedia.org to stay informed, sign up for updates and learn how you can take action to support public media.
3. Join in as an OPB Sustaining member with an ongoing monthly contribution or increase your sustaining support to help ensure the future of OPB’s independent reporting. Go to opb.org and click the red “contribute now” button.

This is a critical moment. But with dedicated members and supporters, we know we can continue to uphold our service to people across our region.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/pressroom/presidents-update-federal-funding-for-public-media-is-at-extreme-risk/