The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced it will be shutting down operations after Congress pulled its funding at the direction of President Donald Trump.
In a press release Friday, the CPB said it would begin "an orderly wind-down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescissions package" last month.
"For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country," CPB said in its statement. "Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community."
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CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said "we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations" despite efforts to salvage funding for public media.
CPB employees were informed that most of their positions will conclude at the close of the fiscal year at the end of September.
"Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country," Harrison said in her statement. "We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people."
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For decades, Republicans campaigned on ending federal funding for public media, which had been allocated from the CPB to NPR and PBS.
In recent years, NPR and PBS have been in the crosshairs of Trump and GOP lawmakers over allegations of political bias, which NPR and PBS leadership have vehemently denied.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger staunchly defended their media organizations while testifying on Capitol Hill in March. Both faced tough questions from Republicans over past allegations of bias and promoting far-left ideologies.
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