Big changes are happening in public TV and radio across the United States. The government has stopped funding PBS and NPR — the main sources of public broadcasting.
With federal support gone, many smaller stations that rely heavily on those grants are facing severe budget shortfalls, program cuts, staff layoffs, or even potential closure. CalMatters+1 PBS announced it would cut its budget by about 21%. Deadline Estimates suggest up to ~80 NPR/PBS member stations, particularly in rural areas, will shut down. opb+1
Arkansas PBS: faces a $2.5M loss in funding; CPB’s Community Service Grant had covered ~51% of operating expenses—forcing leadership changes and program/staff “adjustments.” Arkansas Advocate+1
Oregon Public Broadcasting: faces a $5M loss in funding (or ~9% of budget). Opb
What happened
In May 2025, Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization Of Biased Media” instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease both direct and indirect federal funding for NPR and PBS. The White House+2PBS+2 Then, in July, Congress passed a rescissions package (the Rescissions Act of 2025) that pulled approximately $1.1 billion in funding from CPB over the next two years, thereby eliminating its federal grant support. Axios The House approved the measure by a narrow vote (216–213) and the Senate passed it as well. WOSU Public Media+1 As a result, CPB announced it would begin a wind-down of its operations, which has already begun to have major consequences for the ecosystem of public media. CBS News+1
What it means for Chikin Melele News
Chikin Melele operates on a very small budget to cover essential costs such as website hosting, freelance reporting from Majuro and Guam, video production, and translation. We have been proud to serve as a trusted source of news during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout changes in immigration policy. We investigated and reported early on about increased immigration enforcement, repatriation of Marshallese citizens, and worked to confirm whether or not Marshallese and FSMers were being detaind in Guantanamo.
We also take pride in sharing information in both Marshallese and Chuukese, and in telling stories from our communities across the United States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. We are so fortunate to have the contributions of freelance journalists and video journalists in our communities and Chikin Melele supports the stories that they want to report on and tell. Unfortunately, our usual sources of support — including external translation contracts — are not available right now. Public media has long played a key role in sustaining multilingual content, community-based reporting, and educational programming, and the recent funding cuts means there is less support for outreach and community journals like us.
Even so, we remain deeply committed to sharing community news and voices from across our islands and communities. While some of our projects may slow down and our content may be lighter than usual, we are grateful for the collaboration and creativity of other Micronesian and Marshallese storytellers. Together, we are proud to keep resharing their work and keeping our stories alive. Please continue to follow trusted community news, like Chikin Melele, for bilingual updates and local stories.
Contact chikinmelelenews@gmail.com to donate or collaborate.
