On Wednesday, June 25, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a crucial hearing on the rescissions package, which includes a proposal to take back $1.1 billion in approved Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding – an essential source of support for 1,500+ local public radio and television stations.

If your Senator sits on this Committee, your voice is needed now – no matter where they currently stand on public media funding.

Your Senator Can Shape the Outcome, But They Must Hear From You Now

Senators on the Appropriations Committee may be in a position to amend this package and stop these cuts, but only if they know their constituents are deeply invested in protecting public media and are holding them accountable.

Calling Your Senator is the Most Effective Action You Can Take

We’ve made it easy. Use our patch-through tool to be connected directly to your Senator’s office. If you can’t call, please at least email – but don’t wait. Time is short, and your message may not be viewed and counted in time.

How to Make Your Call Stand Out

When you use our patch-through calling tool, we’ll provide simple talking points to guide your call, including the following:

• Introduce yourself and share where you live in your Senator’s state. If you’re leaving a voicemail, be sure to include your contact information so they know you’re a constituent.
• Explain the impact: Rescinding public media funding would immediately harm local stations, and your community could lose access to essential services or stations entirely, especially in rural and underserved areas.
• Make the ask: Urge your Senator to remove the public media funding rescission from the package.

To make your call even more impactful, consider the following:

• Name your local public radio and television stations to make your message personal and relevant.
• Share how public media supports your daily life – whether it helps your family, job, education, or community.
• If you live in a rural area, emphasize that your community is especially at risk of losing life-saving emergency alerts, local information, and educational enrichment if this funding is cut.
• If your Senator has supported public media in the past, thank them and encourage them to continue speaking out.

Why Protecting Public Media Funding Matters

Public media is one of the last remaining locally operated and controlled media services. This federal funding ensures that stations can reach almost every American — regardless of where they live or how much they earn — with:

• Life-saving emergency alerts
• Educational programming and outreach for families
• Trusted local journalism and community news
• Support for teachers, students, and job seekers

Without this funding, every station will be affected — but rural and tribal stations, where federal funding covers most of the budget, could go dark completely. That means entire communities could lose access to essential services overnight.

Whether They Support Funding or Not: Your Senator Needs to Hear From You

Several Senators have expressed concern about these proposed cuts. If your Senator supports public media, your call helps them prioritize the issue and speak out.

If your Senator hasn’t supported funding in the past, it’s still essential they hear from you. They need to understand these cuts will directly harm local stations and the communities they serve.

Take Two Minutes to Protect Your Local Public Media Stations Now

• Use our patch-through calling tool to call your Senator now.
• If you can’t call, send an email today.

Together, we can ensure local public media stations remain strong, accessible, and responsive – no other service does what they do. Your voice now could protect life-saving, educational, and community-focused services across the nation.