PBS and NPR will cease operations due to the cancellation of federal funding
2 august 2025 в 01:13
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds PBS and NPR, has announced changes in its operations in the coming months after Donald Trump signed an order to cancel funding for television stations. Since PBS and NPR are two of the most well-known broadcasting platforms, viewers are wondering if this means the closure of PBS.
Below is an update on what will happen to PBS.
PBS and NPR will no longer receive $ 1.1 billion in federal funds from CPB due to the White House order, which was called the «End Taxpayer Subsidies for Biased Media» on May 1, 2025.
Trump stated in his order that he canceled funding for PBS and NPR because «government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary, but also destructive to the appearance of journalistic independence».
«At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their taxes fund public broadcasting, they are funding only fair, accurate, impartial, and non-political news coverage», - the order states. «No media has a constitutional right to tax subsidies, and the government has the right to determine which categories of activities to subsidize».
The order claims that «neither NPR nor PBS provide a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events for taxpayers».
According to CPB’s announcement on August 1, PBS will apparently eventually close. According to the press release, the company will begin a «gradual winding down of its operations following the passage of a federal spending package and the Senate Appropriations Committee’s bill for the 2026 fiscal year, excluding CPB funding for the first time in over five decades».
CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison noted that the television company is «closing… its operations».
«Despite the efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and contacted Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we are now faced with the difficult reality of closing our operations», - Harrison said. «CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners in this transitional period with transparency and care».
Thanks to Netflix, «Sesame Street» has not been canceled. However, since PBS will eventually «gradually close», - it seems that the children’s show will not be distributed by the network.
Netflix confirmed that «Sesame Street» will be streamed on its platform with new and old episodes.
«Now Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and all their friends will come to Netflix later this year, with the 56th season of Sesame Street in a new format, as well as 90 hours of previous episodes available to audiences worldwide», - Netflix’s announcement in May read
Below is an update on what will happen to PBS.
PBS and NPR will no longer receive $ 1.1 billion in federal funds from CPB due to the White House order, which was called the «End Taxpayer Subsidies for Biased Media» on May 1, 2025.
Trump stated in his order that he canceled funding for PBS and NPR because «government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary, but also destructive to the appearance of journalistic independence».
«At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their taxes fund public broadcasting, they are funding only fair, accurate, impartial, and non-political news coverage», - the order states. «No media has a constitutional right to tax subsidies, and the government has the right to determine which categories of activities to subsidize».
The order claims that «neither NPR nor PBS provide a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events for taxpayers».
According to CPB’s announcement on August 1, PBS will apparently eventually close. According to the press release, the company will begin a «gradual winding down of its operations following the passage of a federal spending package and the Senate Appropriations Committee’s bill for the 2026 fiscal year, excluding CPB funding for the first time in over five decades».
CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison noted that the television company is «closing… its operations».
«Despite the efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and contacted Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we are now faced with the difficult reality of closing our operations», - Harrison said. «CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners in this transitional period with transparency and care».
Thanks to Netflix, «Sesame Street» has not been canceled. However, since PBS will eventually «gradually close», - it seems that the children’s show will not be distributed by the network.
Netflix confirmed that «Sesame Street» will be streamed on its platform with new and old episodes.
«Now Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and all their friends will come to Netflix later this year, with the 56th season of Sesame Street in a new format, as well as 90 hours of previous episodes available to audiences worldwide», - Netflix’s announcement in May read
© Smirnova Olga
