August 01, 2025

Duckworth, Durbin Pen Letter to Illinois’ Public Broadcasting Stations Seeking Answers on Impact of Republicans’ Drastic Rescissions Package

Across 15 location stations, Illinois was set to receive $12.8 million, but the rescissions package passed by Republicans will claw back this funding

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to every public radio and TV station in Illinois requesting answers about the projected impact of the Republicans’ rescissions package that clawed back $1.1 billion in previously appropriated funding to public broadcasting.

“This month, President Trump and Republicans in Congress rescinded funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) as a result of the Rescissions Act of 2025. We joined 44 of our Senate Democratic colleagues and two of our Senate Republican colleagues in voting against the measure. We write to request information about how this Republican-passed rescission will affect your public radio or television station and the communities you serve,” the Senators wrote.

In Fiscal Year 2024, Illinois received $12.8 million in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), supporting both rural and urban stations, as well as the jobs of 526 people. This funding goes toward supporting local radio and television stations’ education programming, public safety and emergency alerts, weather updates, and local and national news. Without this critical funding, many stations, particularly those in rural areas, may have to taper or shut down their operations.

“We are deeply concerned that this partisan rescission will force local stations in Illinois to close. Like any business, local radio and television stations must plan their budgets and programming schedules months and years in advance to plan and operate effectively. For decades, stations have relied on the two-year forward-funded appropriations passed by Congress. Without this funding, stations may face severe financial hardship, and communities could lose access to this source of news,” the Senators wrote. “We also fear this rescission will undermine the system emergency managers rely on to send life-saving emergency alerts to residents… This rescission is especially concerning for rural and underserved communities who may lose their only source of local news and community programming.”

The Senators concluded their letter with a series of questions about the anticipated impact of the rescissions package.

“We are committed to working with your local station and your community to help inform future legislative efforts to reduce the harm of these cuts,” the Senators wrote. 

“As a result of this law, will your station cut back on its workforce? If so, please identify the number of positions that may be impacted,” the Senators wrote. “How do you project access to local journalism will be impacted by this rescission?”

A copy of the letter is available here and below:

August 1, 2025

Dear Public Radio/TV Station Administrator:

This month, President Trump and Republicans in Congress rescinded funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) as a result of the Rescissions Act of 2025. We joined 44 of our Senate Democratic colleagues and two of our Senate Republican colleagues in voting against the measure. We write to request information about how this Republican-passed rescission will affect your public radio or television station and the communities you serve.

On March 23, 2024, then-President Biden signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-47) into law, which included $535 billion for CPB for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. On March 15, 2025, President Trump signed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 119-4) into law, which included $535 billion for CPB for FY 2027. The recently enacted Rescissions Act of 2025 rescinds all of this nearly $1.1 billion in funding that was agreed to on a bipartisan basis.

Public media is an essential part of Illinois’ civic and economic infrastructure. In FY 2024, Illinois received $12.8 million in CPB funding, reaching both rural and urban communities, supporting 526 jobs. The majority of this funding supports local radio and television stations’ education programming, public safety and emergency alerts, weather updates, and local and national news.

We are deeply concerned that this partisan rescission will force local stations in Illinois to close. Like any business, local radio and television stations must plan their budgets and programming schedules months and years in advance to plan and operate effectively. For decades, stations have relied on the two-year forward-funded appropriations passed by Congress. Without this funding, stations may face severe financial hardship, and communities could lose access to this source of news.

We also fear this rescission will undermine the system emergency managers rely on to send life-saving emergency alerts to residents. Heather Norman, General Manager of WIUM—Tri States Public Radio and President of the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council, shared a life-saving example of the value of local broadcasting when in September 2024, there was an active shooter in Macomb, Illinois. WIUM helped broadcast to the residents of Macomb and McDonough County to shelter-in-place until the situation was under control.

In emergencies like this, access to more information can save lives, and Illinoisans deserve access to more sources of information—not less. This rescission is especially concerning for rural and underserved communities who may lose their only source of local news and community programming.

We are committed to working with your local station and your community to help inform future legislative efforts to reduce the harm of these cuts. We request the following information and analysis from your television or radio station about the rescission of CPB funding by August 22, 2025.

  1. What percent of your operational costs are funded by CPB?
  2. As a result of this law, will your station cut back on its workforce? If so, please identify the number of positions that may be impacted.
  3. How will this funding loss impact your community partnerships? Please outline the partnerships that may be impacted.
  4. If your station currently offers community services, do you anticipate continuing to do so in FY 2026?
  5. How do you project access to local journalism will be impacted by this rescission?
  6. Will your projected financial losses have a broader effect on the economy of your local communities?
  7. Please describe how this rescission will impact the station’s access to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, I look forward to your response. Please contact our offices with any questions and to transmit your response.

Sincerely,

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