Heinrich, Luján oppose Trump administration’s move to strip funding from public broadcasting

Senators warn cuts to CPB would devastate rural stations in New Mexico and beyond, threaten emergency alert systems and early education access

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján are pushing back against a Trump administration move to rescind more than $1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, warning it could force local public television and radio stations to shut down — especially in rural areas of New Mexico.

In a letter co-signed by 29 Senate Democrats and led by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, lawmakers called the proposed cuts “detrimental,” noting that CPB funds help sustain more than 1,500 public media stations nationwide. The rescission effort follows a recent executive order from President Donald Trump titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” which seeks to prohibit federal support for PBS and NPR.

Heinrich and Luján emphasized that New Mexico communities rely heavily on public broadcasting for local news, educational programming and emergency alerts — especially in regions with limited broadband or no access to other local media.

“Public broadcasting is an essential service that should be protected, not decimated,” the senators wrote in a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.

The letter warns that revoking CPB funding would undermine early childhood education programming, limit coverage of local government and elections and jeopardize systems like the Wireless Emergency Alert network, which uses PBS’s infrastructure to deliver real-time alerts during natural disasters and national emergencies.

Luján, who serves as ranking member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, has previously introduced legislation aimed at shielding public broadcasters from political retaliation. His Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act would prohibit the FCC from targeting broadcasters based on content or viewpoint.

Public media leaders have cautioned that rescinding CPB’s advance appropriations — already approved by Congress — would not only violate the law, but destabilize a communications infrastructure that millions rely on for trusted, free public service.

The full letter from Senate Democrats is available on Sen. Heinrich’s website and other congressional channels.

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