The enactment of the Rescissions Act is a major setback to all Americans by undermining the network of 1,500 public media stations that help keep our country safe, educate our youngest learners, and support local communities by delivering critical services, news and information. Public media has delivered unmatched value to the American taxpayer for over fifty years.
The bill claws back two years worth of previously Congressionally approved funding for public media. This forward funding model was established under the Ford Administration to protect public media from political interference and to provide local stations the foundational support needed to launch programming initiatives and support their own fundraising initiatives. And for every dollar the federal funding provides, stations raise seven times that amount on their own. This funding model has been a cornerstone of the public-private partnership that makes our service possible.
Make no mistake, federal funding is essential to public media and this clawback will have major repercussions that are still unclear. Stations in rural areas will be impacted the most. For some, federal funding accounts for half of their overall budget. For KQED, funding amounts to about 8% of our annual operating budget. We recently took action to address our deficit, which puts us on solid footing to adjust to this development and what might come next.
What remains clear and certain is that in this time of division, polarization, misinformation and disinformation, independent, non-commercial media is more important than ever. KQED and the system of public media stations and our national partners NPR and PBS will continue to advocate for federal funding as part of fiscal year 2026 federal appropriations and in the years that follow. Our public service mission transcends time and circumstance. It is our responsibility to keep our communities informed, connected and safe. We will find a path forward.