A message from Friends of PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Public Radio Association

Protect Your Public Media

We need your voice – contact your legislators today!

On June 3, the White House sent Congress a fast-moving rescissions package that would eliminate federal funding for public media, threatening the PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio programs and services you rely on.

On June 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, by a vote of 214 to 212. The bill to defund public broadcasting will now head to the U.S. Senate. You can still make a difference by contacting your senators today.

Don’t let public media get lost in the shuffle! This is the most serious threat PBS Wisconsin and WPR have faced in decades.

We need your voice to protect public media from this very real threat! Please tell your U.S. Senators to protect public media now!

Your voice matters and it means so much.

If you are able, phone calls are especially critical given how quickly this legislation could move.

These proposed cuts are a direct threat to our ability to serve you — and the millions of people across Wisconsin — who rely on public media’s news, music, cultural and educational services.

Thank you for taking action today. Your voice in support of our work as public media in Wisconsin has never been more important.

What is rescission? The rescission process allows the White House to request immediate removal of funds approved and allocated by Congress in previous years. Now that a request has been sent to Congress, both houses have 45 session days to respond either with a vote or by taking no action.

Congressional rules allow this package to be approved by a simple majority and also limit the amount of debate over the proposal. Congress can make amendments to the package before they vote, but they only get one vote. If approved by both houses of Congress, the funding is eliminated. If either chamber of Congress does not pass it before the clock runs out, the rescission request expires, and the president cannot send another rescission request targeting the same funding again.