The U.S. House voted early Friday morning to approve the Trump administration's $9 billion rescission package that claws back $1.1 billion from PBS, NPR and member stations such as WOSU.
The 216-213 vote to eliminate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding included all but two Republicans in favor of the cuts. The bill now goes to President Trump for his signature.
In a statement Friday morning, WOSU Public Media General Manager Anthony Padgett said the decision by Congress to eliminate CPB funding is a significant loss both locally at WOSU and for the greater public media system, which includes more than 160 locally operated public television stations and 1,000 public radio stations.
"Public media provides essential services and has long been a sound federal investment—just $1.60 per person annually, less than 0.01% of the federal budget," Padgett said.
“This funding has long supported WOSU’s mission: ensuring that every classroom, every neighborhood, and every listener in central Ohio has access to trusted journalism, educational resources and stories that reflect our shared community," he said.
“As of October 1, 2025, WOSU will no longer receive support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As WOSU’s only direct source of federal funding, this amounts to approximately $2 million, which is 13% of our operating budget," Padgett said. "The impact to WOSU is compounded by the State of Ohio’s recent decision to eliminate vital educational and public broadcasting funding from the state budget which will further decrease WOSU's budget nearly $400,000."
“While we assess the full impact, our commitment remains unchanged: to serve our community with integrity, creativity, and care. We believe access to quality information and education is a right that must be preserved," Padgett said.
“With federal support eliminated, the responsibility of sustaining WOSU now rests with our community. More than ever, we need the community’s help to secure WOSU’s future,” he said.
The House vote came after the Senate approved the rescission package early Thursday morning.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting stands to lose $1.1 billion meant to fund it through the next two years. CPB acts as a conduit for federal money to NPR, PBS and their member stations.
The package also cuts $7.9 billion in foreign aid spending. That includes $800 million for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation and family reunification for those who flee their own countries and $496 million to provide food, water and health care for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts. There also is a $4.15 billion cut for programs that aim to boost economies and democratic institutions in developing nations.
U.S. Rep. Bernie Moreno, R-Cleveland, voted in support of the rescission package.
A spokesperson for Moreno issued the following statement:
“Senator Moreno was proud to vote in favor of defunding leftwing organizations masquerading as news outlets that have been bankrolled by taxpayers for decades. Publicly-funded media outlets have proven time and time again that their goal is to run Democrat propaganda and lie about Republicans, and it is time taxpayers stopped footing the bill.”
U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, voted against the rescission package.
“Just weeks after Republicans shoveled trillions in tax breaks to billionaires, their unnecessary clawback of approved funding once again shows that Trump and House Republicans will always put their wealthy donors first and everyday Americans last," Beatty said in a statement Friday.
"This reckless measure doesn’t make government more efficient or meaningfully reduce the deficit. It hurts Ohio families. It slashes funding for local public broadcasting, which Central Ohio families rely on for resources like PBS Kids programming, classroom resources, coverage of local news and high school sports, and emergency alerts that keep our communities safe," Beatty said "More than $13 million in annual federal funding supports these crucial services in Ohio alone, and losing this funding could force stations to scale back or shut down completely."
On Wednesday, Beatty joined 45 members of Congress in a letter urging President Donald Trump to reconsider his push to cut funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The White House sent the request to Congress in early June. The House passed it and is expected to approve Senate changes before a midnight Friday deadline.
Beatty missed the first House vote in June for health reasons.
Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio voted for the rescission.
"This package will restore some fiscal sanity to the federal government," Husted said. "If you look at this package, frankly, Ohio taxpayers don't want to fund Sesame Street in Iraq or sex change operations in Guatemala. Those things are crazy. We're cutting them."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
