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FAQ
Your support is vital to protect the future of Vegas PBS.
These Frequently Asked Questions address what's at risk
and what you can do to help protect federal funding.
- Is PBS being defunded?
The U.S. Congress has passed a bill to rescind $1.1 billion in federal funding for public media — putting Vegas PBS at risk of losing nearly $4 million over the next two years. This would impact essential services across Southern Nevada, from PBS KIDS programming to workforce training and local journalism.
- Is that the Rescissions Package?
On June 3, 2025, the White House formally proposed that Congress rescind — or take back — $535 million that’s already been approved for public broadcasting through the year 2027. The two houses of Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) both approved the package before the July 18 deadline.
- What’s at risk?
Vegas PBS is at risk of losing nearly $4 million over the next two years. What's at stake isn't just commercial-free educational television programming, like PBS Kids. It’s also trusted journalism, your favorite dramas and mysteries, and even local emergency alerts that ensure every Nevadan is informed and protected during crises. PBS also uses federal funding to provide educational content and resources to educators, children, and families that help boost children’s literacy, math, and science skills, from grades preK to 12.
- What can I do to help?
You can show your support for Vegas PBS by exploring our programming, joining our newsletter, learning through our programs and services, and becoming a member and donating to help us continue serving Southern Nevada.
- Does PBS receive any federal funding outside of what was taken back by the passing of the Rescissions Package?
PBS already lost some of its essential funding, separate from the Rescissions Package. On May 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education terminated the CPB’s 2020-2025 Ready To Learn grant, effective immediately. This grant has historically funded educational programming like Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow. The current grant helped fund the award-winning Molly of Denali, Work It Out Wombats! and Lyla in the Loop.
- How much will the federal government save by “defunding” PBS?
As a whole, PBS represents about .01% of the total federal budget. In terms of tax dollars, that’s about $1.60 per person annually. Public media receives just 75 cents per Southern Nevadan per year in federal funding, with an incredible return on investment.
- What happens next year?
President Trump’s budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year recommends eliminating all funding for the CPB. This future budget reallocation would also require a Congressional vote with a majority.
- What about the executive order that orders the CPB to stop distributing federal funds to PBS stations?
On May 1, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization Of Biased Media,” which instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to stop distributing federal funds to public media outlets, including PBS. However, the CPB is not a federal agency subject to the authority of the executive branch: It’s a non-profit organization authorized by Congress in 1967 to function as a wholly independent entity, for the public good. That means the executive order is unconstitutional.
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Vegas PBS has been a trusted public media service in Southern Nevada providing education content, career training, emergency services and community programming to support all ages and stages of life.
