Fate Of Public Broadcasting Funds In Senate Hands

The U.S. Senate will vote next week on a measure that could defund public broadcasting, including this station.

The House of Representatives last month narrowly approved the rescission of about $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Local public radio and TV stations like this one depend on federal funding to pay for popular programming. If the measure passes the Senate, the funding would stop after Sept. 30.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says she’s been involved in discussions to stop that from happening. The Senate will vote on the measure Tuesday.

“We’re looking at this. I do think there will be some revisions here. I can’t say what they’ll be at this point,” Capito said.

While Capito says taxpayer dollars shouldn’t go to NPR, she described the work of local stations as important, including the emergency alerts they provide the public. 

NPR receives a small amount of support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Last year, America’s Public Television Stations awarded Capito a Champion of Public Broadcasting award.

She’s a member of the Appropriations Committee, which decides where to spend federal funding.

“Public broadcasting plays a significant role in our communities and helps inform Americans on what is happening around their state, our nation, and our world,” Capito said then. “It certainly does in my state of West Virginia.”