This is not a test: PA public radio stations in emergency mode after rescission vote

Pennsylvania’s public radio stations are sounding the alarm over a  congressional maneuver that seeks to claw back already-allocated federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – a move they say could imperil programming at National Public Radio and PBS-affiliated stations across the state. 

The legislation would rescind more than $9 billion that was previously appropriated by Congress, including close to $1.1 billion in federal funds allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting over the next two years. The rescinded funds include $535 million to the corporation for 2026 and the same amount appropriated for 2027. 

The CPB regularly provides grants to hundreds of organizations, with the funding supporting over 1,200 public radio stations and more than 350 public television stations nationwide.

NPR-affiliated stations in Pennsylvania had been urging supporters to contact their members of Congress and press them to vote against the rescission bill, formally known as House Resolution 4. 

In an email sent to supporters on Friday morning, Cindy Hershey, senior director of development at the Harrisburg-based public radio station WITF, wrote that the station will be affected by the loss of federal funding. 

“With this immediate federal funding loss, WITF now faces an approximate $1.3 million gap in our revenue, representing 8% of our overall budget,” Hershey wrote. “This $1.3 million, along with individual gifts of support, makes up the foundation that sustains our work to bring you PBS and PBS KIDS programming, local productions, trusted news and information, insightful conversations, community events and educational services.”

The station had previously urged listeners and readers to contact U.S. Reps. Scott Perry, Lloyd Smucker, Glenn “GT” Thompson, Dan Meuser and John Joyce to ask them to vote against the bill.  

In Pittsburgh, where WESA is at risk of losing more than $1 million in federal money, supporters were also encouraged to contact their respective members of Congress to urge a “no” vote.

Bill Marrazzo, the president and CEO of WHYY, a Philadelphia-area NPR affiliate, expressed confidence that WHYY can withstand any hardships caused by the rescission bill. 

"WHYY has worked hard and effectively to build a strong financial and market position to weather disruptions, even significant ones such as this. And in a highly competitive media landscape, they come often,” Marrazzo said in a statement. “We have grown our audiences across all our platforms and, with it, our contributed income from growth in voluntary contributions of support. The result has been the growth in the mix of programming and services vital to those in our region.

“We do not anticipate any change to staffing nor to the delivery or mix of our programming offerings, other than to increase them in number for the foreseeable future,” Marrazzo added.

President Donald Trump has the authority to request rescissions of federal funds under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. His 2025 rescission request would revoke a total of $9.4 billion in funding, appropriated to entities like the U.S. Department of State, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Institute of Peace and other international assistance programs, according to Trump’s rescission proposal. 

In a May letter to the president, Russell T. Vought, the director of the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget, said that by allocating federal dollars to public media outlets like National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, federal spending “subsidizes a public media system that is politically biased and is an unnecessary expense to the taxpayer.”

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Senate lawmakers approved an amended version of HR 4 with a 51-48 vote, with Vice President J.D. Vance breaking the tie. Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators were split on the legislation, with U.S. John Fetterman, a Democrat, voting against the legislation and GOP U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick voting in favor.

Once the bill came back to the House on Friday via House Resolution 590, Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation was largely split along party lines, with one exception: Republican U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan, John Joyce, Ryan Mackenzie, Dan Meuser, Scott Perry, Guy Reschenthaler, Lloyd Smucker and Glenn “GT” Thompson voted for the rescission bill, while Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick joined Democrats in the delegation in voting against it. 

In a post on X following the most recent House vote, Joyce wrote that the bill’s passage signals that an “era of reckless spending is finally ending under @POTUS’ leadership.”

“Proud to help codify DOGE’s cuts and claw back billions in wasteful spending through a historic rescissions package,” he wrote. “It’s time we focus on policies that put America First, not pet projects for democrats” (sic).

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat who voted against the rescission bill, wrote on X that he was “part of the first generation to grow up watching Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.”

“This tiny part of the budget provides vital services here in Pennsylvania,” he said. “Trump's cuts are a threat to beloved programs and essential services like emergency broadcasting.”

The bill now awaits Trump’s signature. In a statement following votes on the bill, Patricia Harrison, the president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, warned that the effort will have “profound, lasting, negative consequences for every American.”

“Without federal funding, many local public radio and television stations will be forced to shut down,” Harrison said in a statement. “Parents will have fewer high-quality learning resources available for their children. Millions of Americans will have less trustworthy information about their communities, states, country, and world with which to make decisions about the quality of their lives. Cutting federal funding could also put Americans at risk of losing national and local emergency alerts that serve as a lifeline to many Americans in times of severe need.”