Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) on Monday urged the Trump administration to reconsider a request to Congress for public broadcasting cuts, warning of the potential impact some local communities face if funding is yanked back.
In a joint statement, Amodei and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), co-chairs of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, defended public broadcasting funding, saying local stations’ ability to “continue offering free, high-quality programming would be eliminated if the federal funding is rescinded.”
“Rescinding this funding would also isolate rural communities, jeopardizing their access to vital resources they depend on,” they said, while noting public broadcasting “represents less than 0.01 percent of the federal budget, yet its impact reaches every congressional district.”
“Cutting this funding will not meaningfully reduce the deficit, but it will dismantle a trusted source of information for millions of Americans,” the statement continued.
President Trump last week sent Congress a request for $8.3 billion in cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and foreign aid, and more than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides some funding to NPR and PBS.
The move kickstarts a special process that would allow Republicans to begin codifying some of the cuts pursued by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) despite widespread Democratic opposition.
Some Republicans see the first batch of proposed cuts as potentially the easiest one to deal with, as many in the party have been critical of foreign aid and funds going to outlets like PBS and NPR, which they’ve accused of political bias.
But there are Republicans in both chambers who have expressed concerns about the scope of the proposed package of cuts, including how clawing back funds for public broadcasting programs would impact folks back home.
“You go to rural America, public television is how you get emergency broadcasting and all that kind of stuff,” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a spending cardinal, said Thursday.
“I look at Idaho Public Television, they’re a great organization, and we don’t see the politics that some states do in them, or at least they believe they see that and stuff,” Simpson said, although he added that he still intended to support the package if it comes to the floor.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) also told reporters earlier last week that, before he agrees to the funding clawback, he wanted to know what the cuts “would do to my Native American populations who use the AM radio, I think FM in some areas, to actually communicate throughout those rural areas.”
“I tell folks we’ve got some stuff in public radio that for Native Americans who don’t have anything else to communicate with out there for emergencies and so forth,” he said.
Amodei and Goldman said in the new statement that “of the 544 radio and television stations that receive federal funding, 245 serve rural communities and collectively support more than 5,950 local jobs.”
“Rural broadcasters face significant challenges in raising private funds, making them particularly vulnerable if government funding is cut,” they also said.
“Public media has demonstrated a willingness to listen to the American public and adapt. While we reaffirm that public media must be objective and legitimate concerns about content should be addressed, funding decisions should be objective as well.”
The plan being considered in Congress calls for rescinding $535 million in funding for the CPB in both fiscal 2026 and 2027.
“These funds would be used to subsidize a public media system that is politically biased and an unnecessary expense to the taxpayer. Enacting the rescission would eliminate Federal funding for CPB,” the administration’s rescissions request said of the proposed cuts last week.
The CPB also reacted to the recent request in a statement at the time, as well as the president’s budget request for fiscal 2026. It said the request would cut “all funding for public media except $30 million in closeout costs for CPB.”
“Federal funding for the public broadcasting system is irreplaceable. Public media serves all – families and individuals, in rural and urban communities – free of charge and commercial free,” CPB said. “American taxpayers rely upon and trust public media for high quality educational content, information, and life-saving alerts.”
“The path to better public media is achievable only if funding is maintained. Otherwise, a vital lifeline that operates reliable emergency communications, supports early learning, and keeps local communities connected and informed will be cut off with regrettable and lasting consequences.”
At the same time, hardline conservatives are dialing up pressure on Congress to further cut spending and lock in Trump’s DOGE cuts.
“Raise money,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told The Hill last week when asked about concerns over the proposed public broadcasting cuts. “I mean, look, my bottom line is, we’re $36 trillion in debt. You tell me where we’re gonna find the cuts. Here’s $9 billion. Let’s go.”
“We got, I don’t know, about $4 trillion more to go if you want to get the balance. So, I know we’re not gonna get all that done in one fell swoop, but there’s just no more room in the end.”
“And I’ve got my concerns about the merits on both PBS and NPR and by the way, I say that like I’m an Austin City Limits guy,” he added. “I love it, but you don’t think there’s some rich people in Austin that can fund Austin City Limits?”