Hi,

It's now been nearly five months since Donald Trump signed legislation defunding public broadcasting — and the blows to public media just keep on coming.¹

Last week, Arkansas' public television network officially broke ties with PBS, citing the loss of federal funding. Going forward, shows like Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow, and PBS News Hour will no longer be available to viewers in the state.²

This comes after PBS laid off 15% of its staff, New Jersey PBS announced it would go off the air next summer, and over 50 local stations around the country announced layoffs.^3,4,5 Without renewed federal support, more than 115 other stations could cease operations in the year ahead.⁶

But this fight is NOT over. The U.S. Senate is about to take up legislation that could restore funding for public broadcasting, and we're mobilizing tens of thousands of people to demand that Congress restore funding now!

Will you make a donation to help save public radio and television, and push for other key reforms?

If you've stored your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation to Demand Progress will process immediately.

Trump's defunding of public broadcasting has nothing to do with saving taxpayer money. The entire federal contribution to public broadcasting was around $550 million a year — or less than $1.60 per American.⁷ For comparison, the cost of Trump's ballroom renovation alone is $300 million.⁸

The reason Trump wants to kill off public broadcasting is because it's a threat to his authoritarian takeover.

Every autocrat knows that in order to suppress dissent, they must control the news and information that people receive. With MAGA billionaires in control of the biggest social media platforms and buying up major news outlets like CBS, he's well on his way.⁹

But if we act now, we can save public broadcasting.

The U.S. Senate will soon begin debate on appropriations bills for FY2026, and funding for local public radio and TV stations absolutely must be included. We've already mobilized more than 100,000 people to contact Congress in support of protecting public media this year, and now we need to ramp it up.

Will you make a donation to help support our work, including restoring funding for public radio and television?

Thanks for taking action,

Joey and the team at Demand Progress Action

DONATE

Sources:

1. PBS, "Trump signs bill canceling $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding," July 24, 2025.
2. Arkansas Times, "RIP, Arkansas PBS," December 11, 2025.
3. Axios, "PBS slashes 15% of its staff after federal funding cuts," September 5, 2025.
4. Corporation for Public Broadcasting, "The Impact of the Federal Rescission on Public Media," October 9, 2025.
5. WHYY, "NJ PBS, New Jersey's only dedicated public television channel, will cease operations in the Garden State next summer," September 23, 2025.
6. Protect My Public Media, "Urge Congress: Save Our Stations," accessed December 17, 2025.
7. Protect My Public Media, "About Protect My Public Media," accessed December 5, 2025.
8. ABC News, "New images show White House East Wing leveled for $300 million ballroom," November 17, 2025.
9. Zeteo, "The MAGA Moguls' Media Takeover," December 9, 2025.

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