On Tuesday, June 3, the White House officially asked Congress to eliminate previously approved funding for public media for 2026 and 2027. This proposed claw back of funding — also known as a rescission request — includes cuts not just to public media but also to foreign aid. This news story from NPR has more details.
Here are some answers to questions we hear:
Q: I’ve heard about many threats to public media recently. What makes this different?
A: So far this year, there have been multiple threats to federal funding of public media. This includes:
- The FCC calling for investigations into sponsorship practices for public media;
- The heads of NPR and PBS being called to testify before a DOGE subcommittee;
- An attempt from President Trump to fire members of the board for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, with a subsequent lawsuit from CPB;
- And on May 1, an executive order from the White House calling to eliminate funding for public media, with subsequent lawsuits from NPR and PBS.
The proposed rescission, which you can read here, has been anticipated for some time. It is not just the latest in a series of threats, but the most significant because it is a formal request for Congress to take action to eliminate public media funding.
In short, there’s been a lot of words so far, but this is a new level of very significant action.
Q: What can I do to show support for Hawai‘i Public Radio and the public media system at large?
A: Contact your elected officials with calls and emails. Share support for HPR and public media with friends, family and your social media networks. And, as always, for this community backed public service, we welcome shows of financial support.
We’ve made it easy to do any or all of those things in a matter of a few minutes right here.
Q: What happens now that the rescission request has been filed?
A: In order to pass, the rescission request to cut federal funding to public media funding for 2026 and 2027 needs approval from both the House and Senate within 45 days of June 3, when the request landed.
If the majority of the House doesn’t vote to approve the rescission, it fails.
If the House votes to approve the rescission, it moves on to the Senate where it needs a majority vote to pass.
This process will unfold in June and possibly into July.
Q: In Hawai‘i, all of our elected officials are Democrats. Why should I contact my representative?
A: There is a very slim margin in the House for the vote on the rescission package.
Elected officials, regardless of their party affiliation, should hear support for public media, and also be encouraged to share that with colleagues in other states where support may not be as strong. Funding for public media is both a local issue that would negatively impact HPR, and a national issue that would weaken a network of reliable journalism, music and cultural services, and literally vital information like emergency services.
Also, HPR has listeners and readers and fans throughout the nation. If you are in that group, or have family and friends who listen to HPR outside of Hawai‘i via our digital platforms, your support to your representatives where you live also matters greatly.
Q: What does this latest threat mean for HPR? Why does it matter?
A: HPR is a community backed public service that informs, inspires and connects Hawai‘i. About 6% of our funding comes from the federal government via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
If we were to lose that funding — currently a little more than $500,000, it would impact our ability to provide local, national and international programming on air and online, and to maintain our infrastructure that serves all of Hawai‘i.
Also, if the rescission package is approved, HPR would likely face additional costs that could grow closer to a total of $1 million as other radio and TV stations in the network would not be able to pay into the interconnected system of public media stations nationwide.
And more broadly, news deserts have proliferated in the last few decades across America, and misinformation and polarization have bloomed. Now is the time to help keep HPR strong and growing, and to keep us doing work that informs and engages Hawai'i.
In a world of subscriptions, algorithms that work to keep you doom-scrolling, and information coming from sources that you aren’t sure if you can trust, remember that HPR is trusted, is free to all, is not seeking to monopolize or monetize your attention, and is not beholden to any outside interest. That’s worth the power of your voice.
That’s why the staff of HPR, our Board of Directors and our Community Advisory Board, urge you to show your support by contacting your elected officials — it takes less than 5 minutes if you follow the simple links on this page.
Do you have other questions or comments for us? Email HPR at members@hawaiipublicradio.org or leave a message with us at 808.792.8217.
