In a statement issued immediately after the vote, NPR CEO Katherine Maher called the decision “an unwarranted dismantling of beloved local civic institutions, and an act of Congress that disregards the public will.” “Public funding has enabled the flourishing of a uniquely American system of unparalleled cultural, informational, and educational programming, and ensured access to vital emergency alerting and reporting in times of crisis—all for about $1.60 per American, every year,” her statement continued. “Parents and children, senior citizens and students, tribal and rural communities—all will bear the harm of this vote.”
North Caroline representative Alma Adams raised similar concerns on the House floor. “When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina last year, public broadcasting was there when traditional communications failed,” she said. “Widespread power, cellular and internet outages meant that for thousands of North Carolinians, public radio was how they received their news.”
This all ties back to a May executive order calling for the end of “taxpayer subsidization of biased media.” A Harris poll last week, however, found that 66% of Americans support federal funding for public radio, including 58% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats, per NPR. Maher referenced this support in her statement, but didn’t pull any punches when talking about how much damage the vote would cause.
“Despite promises from some Members of Congress to fix anything the bill breaks, this will be an irreversible loss. If a station doesn’t survive this sudden turn by Congress, a vital stitch in our American fabric will be gone for good,” she said. “Public media is a resilient civic good, its organizations dedicated to public service. Tonight, our network’s service to the nation suffered a tremendous setback. Together—and with support from listeners and readers in communities around the nation—we will work to rebuild.”