Power of Public Media

On June 3, the White House submitted a rescissions package to Congress that proposes to claw back $1.1 billion in already approved federal funding for public media, if passed. It must be approved by both the House and the Senate within 45 days of its submission. On June 12, the House of Representatives passed the package. The proposal now moves to the Senate, where it can pass with a simple majority. Lawmakers may amend what is included in the package. If it does not pass, the $1.1 billion in vital funds should still be released. 

Federal funding makes up a vital portion of WETA’s funding mix with approximately 25% of our budget tied to federal support. Even as we face this critical moment, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing trusted news, cultural programming, and educational resources that inform, educate and connect us all. 

If this critical federal funding is now taken away, WETA could be forced to make significant cuts, harming our ability to serve our community and the nation in the future. That makes your support more crucial than ever. We encourage you to make a contribution of financial support, join WETA’s email list, and find out how you can act to protect WETA and public media nationwide at Protect My Public Media.

Learn more by watching our How Public Media Funding Really Works video.

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Public Media delivers unparalleled value, achieving remarkable impact for about $1.60 per person per year.

Public media is for everyone. It’s free, accessible, and reflects our local community’s values and range of experiences. Unlike commercial media, which is driven by profits and advertisers, we are driven by you, our neighbors, and a mission to serve the public good.

WETA’s important work is at risk with the threatened elimination of federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). WETA would lose roughly 25% of our annual budget from this loss of funding to the public media system. Not only would WETA’s programs be directly affected, but the impact on the entire public media system would be much greater. Our system is interconnected so federal defunding of CPB would weaken the entire structure, imperiling PBS and hundreds of stations nationwide that carry our programs, including our own station here in the DC area.

Watch the short video below to learn how federal funding supports public media — and why it matters so deeply to our communities across the nation.