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Public Broadcasting helps save lives when disaster strikes; GOP rescission package threatens it

In 2024 alone, over 11,000 emergency alerts were transmitted over the PBS WARN system, 30% more than previous year 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a speech this afternoon on the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, slammed Republicans’ plan to rescind $1.1 billion in congressionally-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) calling it a “reckless endangerment of 13 million Americans who depend on these stations for life-saving emergency information.”

“When the floods rise in the Southwest, or wildfires rage in the West, or hurricanes barrel down on the Atlantic or Gulf Coasts—public broadcasters are often the only lifeline connecting families in rural communities to crucial emergency information. This isn't hyperbole. These are the facts,” Sen. Cantwell said. “Even in the aftermath of unthinkable situations that happened this past week in Texas, Texas Public Radio has stayed on the air to provide updates on severe weather alerts, recovery efforts and helping a community mourn and rebuild together.”

The PBS and NPR stations included on this map receive more than 30% of their funding from the CPB and most at risk of closure. Many are in areas highly susceptible to hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. Sen. Cantwell used it in her floor presentation. 

Last month, Sen. Cantwell released a report highlighting public broadcasting’s essential role in responding to emergencies and weather disasters, especially in rural communities where public radio and television stations serve as the primary – or sole – source of local news and emergency alerts. These stations rely heavily on federal funding, with some depending on it for over 70 percent of their budgets, leaving them at high risk of closure if the cuts are enacted. According to the report, nearly 13 million Americans live in communities under threat of losing local public broadcast stations. What’s worse, many serve large swaths of the Western, Midwestern, and Southeastern United States at risk of wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other public safety emergencies.

In her remarks tonight, Sen. Cantwell explained how, “Northwest Public Broadcasting maintains a 24/7 fire coverage from May through October, tracking blazes that threaten lives and property, and they've expanded coverage, especially to address wildfire communication gaps for Spanish-speaking Northwesterners. This is a big agricultural section of our state, and we want to ensure that everybody receives the alerts, regardless of language.”

PBS operates the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN), which transmitted over 11,000 emergency alerts in 2024 alone, up 33% from the previous year. In Oklahoma this past March, public broadcasters issued sixty-five fire alerts across thirteen counties in just ten days. Six evacuation orders were transmitted. KOSU operates this system at a cost of $751,000 annually, with CPB providing crucial support.

“Since 1975, Congress has recognized that public broadcasting requires stability to serve communities effectively. So, this isn't a partisan issue. It's a practical issue. We need to say that we are going to save public radio [for] when the next disaster strikes, and trust me, it will,” said Sen. Cantwell. “I live in a very disaster-prone part of the United States – with all sorts of issues, from fires to volcanoes to tsunamis to floods to lots of things – we need to access potentially life-saving information.”

A complete transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks can be found HERE and the video HERE. 

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