Lawmakers Stand Strong: No More Handouts for NPR and PBS

Yesterday, when the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced its funding bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, it did so without restoring a penny of taxpayer money to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB and its subsidiaries PBS and NPR were defunded after a half-century of taxpayer subsidy for left-wing messaging by the Rescissions Act of 2025 earlier in the month.

Within 24 hours, CPB announced that it was shuttering its operations.

Americans for Tax Reform applauds the Members of Congress who voted to uphold the Rescissions Act. This victory for taxpayers would not have been possible without the leadership of lawmakers like Senator Eric Schmitt, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, Senator John Kennedy, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Senate Republican Leader John Thune, who ensured the package advanced and stayed intact despite political pressure. Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, had opposed the rescissions bill but honored the will of the majority in the bipartisan appropriations bill.

For decades, these outlets received billions in federal subsidies under the false pretense of public neutrality, while offering programming that leaned unmistakably left. Lawmakers have finally taken a stand to stop forcing American taxpayers to subsidize content they may fundamentally disagree with.

The passage of the rescissions package in the Senate and its advancement in the House marks a return to fiscal sanity and media fairness. While legacy media and their political allies sound the alarm, Americans should take comfort in knowing that essential services like the national emergency alert system remain fully operational. This was confirmed to the press by Senator Shelley Moore Capito, who chairs the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over CPB.

The defunding of NPR and PBS is no longer just a campaign promise. It is now a policy reality, thanks to the leadership of those in Congress who refused to back down. These legislators recognized what voters have long understood: government-run media is not a public necessity. It is a taxpayer burden that is necessarily biased in favor of the swamp that funds it, not invested in the public good.

Americans for Tax Reform commends every Senator and Representative who stood firm. Upholding this reform is not just a win for fiscal responsibility. It is a win for free speech, media competition, and respect for taxpayers.