Thanks to our grassroots supporters’ tireless advocacy over the past month, public media funding has a fighting chance this year! Here’s what we achieved together:

Senate Appropriations Bill Preserves Funding for Core Public Media Programs

On August 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS-Education) Appropriations bill that proposes preserving funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Interconnection, and Ready To Learn.

Advocates represented by Senators on the Committee played an invaluable role in expressing their support for these programs, which power the local service of public radio and TV stations in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

The House Stalls Consideration of Bill that Defunds Public Media

Thanks to overwhelming congressional outreach by viewers and listeners nationwide, the full House of Representatives did NOT vote on its Labor-HHS-Education bill, which would eliminate funding for CPB and Interconnection, before leaving for August recess.

The House could still take up its Labor-HHS-Education bill in September, in which case we must be ready to strongly urge lawmakers to oppose it once more.

To make your voice heard now, you can send a message or place a call to your Representative.

The House Provides Funding for the Next Generation Warning System

The House of Representatives also recently approved its FY 2025 Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which includes funding for the Next Generation Warning System.

A group of advocates highlighted the importance of public media’s alert and warning role to lawmakers, emphasizing the need for continued infrastructure funding to ensure the reliability and resilience of this essential public service.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet taken up its Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

Looking Ahead: September Actions on Public Media Funding

Members of Congress will return to Washington, D.C. to resume legislative business on September 9.

During September, Congress could take several actions affecting public media:

• The Senate Appropriations Committee could take up its Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
• The full Senate could vote on the Labor-HHS-Education and Homeland Security Appropriations bills, and we’ll be watching out for amendments seeking to eliminate public media funding.
• The full House may consider its Labor-HHS-Education bill, which would eliminate core public media funding and which may also face damaging amendments.

It’s unlikely that Congress will finalize public media funding before September 30, the end of the current fiscal year. A short-term funding measure will likely be necessary to keep the government and federal programs funded beyond that date.

Determining Final Funding Levels

While the House and Senate proposals for public media differ greatly, both chambers will need to negotiate final funding levels for each federal program. The timeline for these negotiations remains uncertain but is likely to begin after the general election in November. Ongoing grassroots engagement will be crucial to protect public media funding every step of the way.

Thank you to every public media supporter who made their voice heard over the last month. Each message sent to Congress contributed to these results. We hope we can count on you to continue advocating for essential funding until it is signed into law.