43% of U.S. Adults Support Federal Funding for NPR, PBS

The White House is seeking to rescind $1.1 billion in funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) - the organization responsible for distributing funding to National Public Radio (NPR), Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) and more than 1,500 local radio and television stations through grants - stating that NPR and PBS are “biased” outlets. The request to Congress comes as part of a wider proposed bill to revoke $9.4 billion in already approved funding, which would mainly hit foreign aid. If the bill comes to pass, then the CPB would receive zero funds in 2026 and 2027. This will only happen if Congress passes the proposal in 45 legislative days.

The issue is largely divided along party lines, with many Republicans arguing that funding to NPR and PBS should be found elsewhere. Democrats and critics of the cuts say that the move would lead to little savings for taxpayers and will shut off access to local news, including emergency reporting.

43 percent of U.S. adults think that federal funding to NPR and PBS should continue while 24 percent would support removing it, according to a recent poll by Pew Research Center, conducted March 10-16. When looking along party lines, around seven in ten voters who self-identify as aligning with the Democratic Party said they support continuing the funding while around two in ten voters aligned with the Republican Party said the same.

Respondents were also asked about their levels of trust in the two broadcasters. Where 41 percent of adults said they trusted PBS, 29 percent said they trusted NPR. Only 15 percent and 14 percent, said they distrusted the respective news sources. Around one in five adults out of the 9,482 surveyed said that they regularly get news from NPR, with a similar figure for PBS.