Six months into President Donald J. Trump’s second tenure in office, much of the congressional attention was focused on the passage of the “One, Big, Beautiful bill,” which the president signed into law on July 4.
The legislation narrowly got through both chambers of Congress and was a major victory for Trump and fellow Republicans.
Lawmakers now return their attention to other priorities, including H.R. 4 – Rescissions Act of 2025. It was introduced to the House on June 6 and passed six days later by a vote of 214 to 212. It has yet to be taken up by the Senate.
The Rescissions bill “rescinds $9.4 billion in unobligated funds that were provided to the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), various independent and related agencies, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”
The funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting affect the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years that worries many in Indian Country.
Without the funding, many communities, especially rural communities, could become isolated as public media stations and radio may go off the air. Of the federal funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives, more than 70 percent goes directly to local public media stations, according to its website.
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee, posted on X July 10 that the deadline for the bill’s passage is July 18. He intends to vote yes on the package.
Francene Blythe-Lewis, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Navajo and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, is the president and chief executive officer of Vision Maker Media. Her father, Frank Blythe, founded the nonprofit organization in 1976 with seed money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and wanted to bring contemporary Native storytelling to public television.
“At the time, public leaders and programmers and station managers, they were all wanting the iconic Indian history, Indian Wars, Indian chief stories and biographies,” she said. “And so he really fought hard to set a precedent of bringing the lives and experience of Native Americans in the times that we are in to public television.”
The impending proposal to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would “almost virtually eliminate” Vision Maker Media and be “extremely tragic.”
Without organizations like Vision Maker Media, Blythe-Lewis said new generations would lose awareness of Native people, cultures and communities.
“That is the tragic part, because we’re very much a part of civil society. We’re very much part of political influence. We’re very much a part of, you know, this whole fabric of American culture and so too, because we’re the original peoples to the land, our history is critical to remain sort of the foundation of finding and founding of America.”
Similarly sounding the alarm, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger wrote in an email that public television belongs to the American people, representing and serving all communities.
“Our work has only been possible because of the support of viewers like you,” the email said. “Now, at one of the most crucial moments in our history, we need your help more than ever before. Together, we can fight for PBS, and protect our vital service.”
In early June at the National Congress of American Indians Mid-Year Convention, the national Native organization adopted a resolution titled, “Urging Congress to Reject Proposals to Rescind, Eliminate, or Reduce Federal Funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”
Along with Vision Maker Media, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation and Native Public Media were named in the resolution as nonprofit public media organizations supported by funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, and with a satellite office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation “serves 192 stations in 34 U.S. states, including 57 rural Tribal stations and operates Native Voice One, also known as NV1, a content distribution service providing programming that is all Tribally produced to stations throughout the nation through a satellite channel.”
Native Public Media “serves as national center for the network of Tribally licensed and operated radio stations, and receives funding from the CPB to provide technical assistance to 36 such stations.”
While at the convention advocating on behalf of tribal media, Native Public Media shared that the funding cuts would have drastic consequences with stations going dark that provide unique programming and emergency information.
“Public media amplifies stories often overlooked by mainstream outlets. It champions diverse voices, reflects local cultures, and showcases independent creators, artists, and musicians,” Native Public Media shared on its website. “ Regional storytelling and community engagement build bridges of understanding and foster a shared sense of identity.”
While it is available online, ICT’s weekly newscast could become less available to viewers through their local television programming. The 30-minute, Indigenous news program airs on more than 190 public television channels across 118 media markets in 41 states, and is broadcast on PBS stations, First Nations Experience, also known as FNX, and the PBS World Channel.
The ICT newscast is also carried on main PBS channels, subchannels (like 8.2 or 5.3), and secondary PBS stations, expanding access especially in rural and tribal communities.
“We run on the main channel for Alaska PBS, and subchannel for New Mexico and Oklahoma,” said Ebonye Delaney, general manager at ICT. “But remember a large major of those stations viewers watch subchannels because they are available over antenna. Which in rural parts is the only way for many to receive PBS.”
The three states (New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Alaska) are the top three states to have the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population when looking at the 2020 Census alone and in combination data.
Nearly 40 percent of Indian Country lies within Alaska out of the 574 federally recognized tribes. New Mexico is home to 23 federally recognized tribes and Oklahoma is where many tribes were removed to.
In a letter to Congress, NCAI President Larry Wright Jr., encouraged the rejection of the termination of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
“Tribal voices in broadcast media, Tribally owned and operated media outlets and sources, and Tribally produced content are essential to the national awareness and understanding to the Tribal perspective, histories, cultures, and heritages,” Wright Jr. wrote, according to Native Public Media. “CPB funding benefits Tribal communities across the country by providing accessible news, emergency information, weather alerts, public health messaging, local public affairs programming, and culturally relevant content.”
This isn’t the first time public media has been attacked or attempted to be defunded. This time around however, the attempt to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting seems to be coming from multiple fronts, Blythe-Lewis said.
“I think we were on the cutting board a couple of years ago, even under Biden, and it didn’t pass. I know in Trump’s previous administration, he tried to defund it. It didn’t happen,” Blythe-Lewis said. “So this time it’s, it’s a much more stronger, many different angles of attack.”
It is expected to be taken up soon by the Senate but with a razor thin majority, Republicans cannot afford more than three defections from their ranks. In the case of a 50-50 tie vote, Vice President J.D. Vance would serve as the tie-breaking vote.
Blythe-Lewis said it is important to continue to reach out to one’s Senators and stress the importance of public media and how much it is needed.
“Public media is truly a reliable source that reaches rural communities and helps to educate audiences and people about each other and what’s going on in our world.”
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