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Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
No Propaganda Act would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to end federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and bar CPB from accepting federal funds after enactment. The bill also requires the rescission of unobligated CPB funds from certain recent federal appropriations laws and makes a small conforming change to how amounts received are treated in one section of the Act. In short, if enacted, CPB would lose all federal funding going forward and any unused federal money previously allocated to CPB would be returned to the Treasury. The bill would push public broadcasting to rely on non-federal sources of funding, such as private donations, grants, or state/local support.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on federal funds for CPB: Adds a new provision stating that no federal funds may be made available to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on or after the date of enactment.
- 2Prohibition on CPB accepting federal funds: Amends CPB’s ability to accept funds from the federal government, adding a new requirement that CPB may not accept federal funds after enactment.
- 3Rescission of unobligated balances: Repeals or takes back any unused (unobligated) CPB funds that were carried forward from the Consolidated Appropriations Acts of 2022, 2023, and 2024.
- 4Conforming amendment: Changes a provision in the Act to reflect that amounts received prior to the No Propaganda Act’s enactment are treated in a specific way, ensuring consistency with the new federal-funding ban.
- 5Effective date and scope: The funding ban and related changes take effect on the date of enactment, with CPB’s current and future interactions with federal dollars limited accordingly.
Impact Areas
Primary group/area affected: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its partner public broadcasting entities (e.g., stations that distribute PBS/NPR programming). They would lose federal funding and would need to adjust budgeting, programming, and operations to rely on non-federal sources.Secondary group/area affected: Taxpayers and federal budgeting processes would be affected by the elimination of federal support for CPB; private donors, philanthropic funders, and state/local governments could experience changes in funding landscape for public media.Additional impacts: Public programming and staffing at CPB-funded stations could face budget pressures, potentially altering programming investments, local services, and outreach. The transition would depend on CPB’s ability to replace lost federal funds with private or alternative funding sources, and could influence the overall independence and sustainability of public broadcasting.The bill is identified as the No Propaganda Act and was introduced in the Senate (S. 519) on February 11, 2025, by Senator Kennedy and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 1, 2025