WASHINGTON—In response to the Trump administration’s plans to eliminating funding for public television stations in its fiscal year 2026 budget, America’s Public Television Stations issued a strong statement condemning the proposals as a “direct attack” on communities served by those stations.
“America’s Public Television Stations are deeply disappointed that President Trump’s FY 2026 budget proposal recommends eliminating federal funding for the locally controlled public television stations that the American people rely on and support funding for, including 65% of people who voted for the President,” said Kate Riley, president and CEO of ATPS in a statement.
Riley also stressed that those stations provide critical services for education, local information and emergency alerts and information. “Eliminating federal funding for public media would significantly jeopardize public safety across the country, particularly in areas with weak cell coverage and less broadband access,” she said.
“These services are particularly critical in more rural areas, many of which have no other sources or local media,” she noted. “Eliminating this funding is a direct attack on the communities that depend on their local public media stations everyday for public safety, education and community connections.
In terms of emergency preparedness, she also stressed that “the federal investment in public media enables us to provide the delivery of geo-targeted wireless emergency alerts to cell phones, and the only nationwide situational awareness tool used by public safety officials to track and monitor the effectiveness of those alerts.”
It also plays a major, and highly valued educational role, the group said. “In fact, according to a recent YouGov survey, 82% of voters, including 72% of Trump voters, said they valued PBS for its children's programming and educational tools,” she said.
“These services are essential for the American people and worthy of the federal investment, which amounts to about $1.60 per person per year and less than one 1/100th of a percent of the federal budget,” she concluded, adding that public media also has widespread support among the public.
“Public media has earned the broad support of the American people, across the political spectrum, including 65% of people who voted for President Trump who think public television is either adequately funded or underfunded, according to a recent YouGov survey,” she said “And in March, the Pew Research Center found that Americans are more likely to support than oppose continuing federal funding for NPR and PBS by a factor of almost 2:1.”
