In response to Congress’s approval of a rescission bill that clawed back $1.1 billion in pre-approved federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR is taking emergency action to protect its most vulnerable member stations from the sudden loss.
Speaking with Texas Public Radio News Director Dan Katz, NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said NPR’s board made the decision to cut the organization’s own operating budget by $8 million and redirect that money to assist stations, particularly those in rural areas, facing major shortfalls.
The rescission, passed by Congress as part of a broader budget clawback effort, will cost public radio stations an estimated $350 million annually over the next two years. Boston’s GBH expects to lose 8% of its budget, while Hawai’i Public Radio estimates a $900,000 gap.
Charlotte NPR affiliate WFAE already announced it will lay off six staff members, while South Dakota Public Broadcasting warned it may be forced to cut up to 25% of its workforce if replacement funding isn’t secured.
Maher said NPR’s internal budget cut is a “short-term step” and that the remainder of the year will be spent planning how to “support and sustain the network for the future.”
Despite criticism of NPR from conservatives who claim the network carries a liberal bias, Maher stood firm on editorial direction. “My feeling is that part of the reason that NPR is in the crosshairs is because it continues to adhere to high-quality journalism in an uncompromising way,” she told Katz. “Now, having lost federal funding, I see no reason why we would back down from that position.”
Maher added that the funding crisis may offer a unique chance to reengage with donors who haven’t historically supported public media, noting that misconceptions about NPR being fully funded by the federal government have persisted for years. “This is a way of us being able to restart that conversation with philanthropy at the national level, at the regional level, at the local level,” she said, adding that public media remains critical to local accountability and civic strength.
With reporting from Adam R. Jacobson
