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Public Media - Federal Funding Cuts

Posted on June 09, 2025

Public media is under threat

 

On June 3rd, the Trump administration officially submitted a request to Congress to eliminate federal funding for public media.  The request, called a rescission, would remove the money that Congress previously approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (see Politico or NOTUS) for the next two years (FY26 & FY27).  Congress will have up to 45 days to vote on this, however, reports indicate that the House of Representatives intend to vote as early as Wednesday (6/11).  If this rescission is passed, it would directly impact public television and radio stations and community serving organizations such as Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC): a vital institution that supports authentic Pacific Islander storytelling on the most trusted platform in the country, public media.

 

What is Public Media: 

  • Public media is a constellation of more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations across the country; distributors of independently produced educational and informative content, like PBS and NPR, that provide this content to stations across the country; and organizations like PIC that support filmmakers who create the content that’s distributed throughout the public media system.

  • Through partnerships with distributors like PBS, PIC makes our content accessible to public television stations. Despite stations having full programming autonomy, 90% of public television stations nationwide choose to broadcast PIC content.

  • CPB is a private corporation created by Congress through the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.  It is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting and the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services in the United States. Its mission is to provide every American with free, educational, informative and commercial free media.

  • CPB’s federal appropriation is modest: roughly one one-hundredth of a percent (0.01%) of the federal budget.  This roughly equates to $1.60 per person annually.

  • Since 1991, PIC has been a recipient of funding from CPB and makes up the vast majority of our annual budget.  With this funding PIC is privileged with the incredible responsibility of ensuring that Pacific Islander communities are part of the ongoing national discourse of who we are as a country.

This is about representation.

  • PIC is the only national public media organization that supports media content and its makers to promote a deeper understanding of Pacific Islander history, culture, and perspectives. PIC receives 90% of our funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which we use to provide the funding, platforms, and visibility our communities deserve in media, not filtered, not flattened, but full of truth and care.

We are the stories we share.

  • Without funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, stories from Pacific Islander communities risk being overlooked or misrepresented. PIC ensures these stories are told with authenticity, care, and cultural integrity, without commercial interests, centering voices from within the community and honoring the relationships between storytellers and those whose lives they portray.

For the full details of the Trump administration’s rescission package, you can read it here.

 

How to Make a Difference

If you care about preserving a space where all people are seen and all voices are heard, you can:

1. Contact your congressional representatives.

Urge them to protect CPB funding and safeguard public media. Use scripts or platforms like Protect My Public Media,  govtrack.us or house.gov.

Suggested message: “I’m calling to urge you to protect funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Public media plays a critical role in uplifting underrepresented voices, including Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. Organizations like Pacific Islanders in Communications depend on CPB funding to tell our stories.”

2. Watch and share PIC content.

Streaming PIC-funded films made accessible through PBS (PBS.org, PBS App, PBS YouTube) and the PIC YouTube, and attending film festivals featuring Pacific Islander filmmakers helps build demand and awareness.

3. Amplify through your networks.

Use this guide for talking points and resources for ways to amplify this information and encourage folks to join the fight.

4. Support fundraising efforts.

Encourage donations directly to PIC or through hosted events and screenings. Even small contributions help sustain storytelling programs, filmmaker residencies, and youth initiatives.

Latest Coverage (As of June 3)

 

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