Bell, Matsui Lead 80+ Lawmakers Urging President Trump to Restore Funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Washington, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representatives Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) led over 80 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Donald J. Trump calling on his Administration to restore funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) following its elimination in the Rescissions Act of 2025. The lawmakers warn that cutting CPB funding will weaken local journalism, jeopardize public safety, and destabilize the federal appropriations process. 

CPB remains one of the nation’s most essential public services—connecting over 99% of Americans to emergency alerts, educational content, local culture, and trusted news. For many rural and low-income communities, public broadcasting is often the only reliable source of information.

“Beyond its immediate harm to public broadcasting, the passage of this rescissions package sets a troubling precedent for the appropriations process,” wrote the lawmakers.“Retroactively clawing back funds that were already approved by Congress to serve partisan political purposes undermines the integrity of the regular, bipartisan budgeting process. This kind of maneuver could destabilize agencies, institutions, and workers who rely on a transparent, structured funding process.”

“​​Protecting CPB resources remains essential not only for preserving public media but also for safeguarding the principles of transparency and accountability. We respectfully call on the administration to work collaboratively to restore services offered under CPB and ensure that public broadcasting can continue fulfilling its indispensable mission for all communities across the country” concluded the lawmakers.

The letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. (D-N.J.), Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Frank J. Mrvan (D-Ind.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Robert J. Menendez (D-N.J.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-Calif.), Marc A. Veasey (D-Texas), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Gwen S. Moore (D-Wis.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), April McClain Delaney (D-Md.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sharice L. Davids (D-Kan.), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Al Green (D-Texas), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), John B. Larson (D-Conn.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Summer L. Lee (D-Pa.), George Whitesides (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Jonathan L. Jackson (D-Ill.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Hillary J. Scholten (D-Mich.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Robin L. Kelly (D-Ill.), Haley M. Stevens (D-Mich.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.).

The full letter can be found here.

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