Late last night, the U.S. Senate voted to move forward with a bill that includes a proposal to eliminate all federal funding for public media. The legislation is now actively being debated and could receive a final vote later today. If you are interested in watching the debate, you can watch it live here.
Thanks to support from several key Senators — including New York’s own Senators Schumer and Gillibrand — there’s still a path to stop this. The fight isn’t over.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The Senate tied 50-50 on advancing the bill, with Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote to move it forward.
- The Senate is continuing debate this morning and will likely vote later today.
- If passed, the bill may go back to the U.S. House of Representatives — possibly as early as this evening.
What can you do? While our New York Senators have been strong allies, they still need to hear from you. Let them know you value public media and want them to oppose final passage of this bill or support amendments to protect funding. If you have friends and family in other states, encourage them to contact their Senators.
And please also contact your U.S. House Representative — your voice could make the difference if the bill returns to the House for a vote.
WXXI — and stations like ours across the country — depend on federal funding to bring you fact-based news, educational children’s programming, cultural storytelling, and local reporting that reflects our diverse communities.
We are so grateful for your support and engagement. Let’s keep standing up for public media, together.
Take action now: 👉 protectmmpublicmedia.org
All the best,
Chris Hastings
President & CEO
WXXI Public Media