Patricia Harrison

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 1, 2025) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced today that it will begin an orderly wind-down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescissions package and the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill, which excludes funding for CPB for the first time in more than five decades.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2025) -- Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the 2026 Labor and Health and Human Services appropriations bill, which provides no funding for CPB:

“CPB is deeply concerned that the Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced a bill that threatens the survival of local public media stations essential in so many ways to the communities they serve.

WASHINGTON, DC (July 18, 2025) -- Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Senate and House voting this week to approve the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminates CPB funding:

“The vote by the U.S. Senate and House to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will have profound, lasting, negative consequences for every American.

WASHINGTON, DC (July 14, 2025) – As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on the Rescissions Act of 2025, that would cancel $1.1 billion in already approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a new national survey finds that U.S. voters place more trust in public media than media overall and hold a more favorable opinion of public media compared with for profit media.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 12, 2025) -- Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), issued the following statement today on the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of the rescissions package to claw back $1.1 billion of already appropriated funding for CPB for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The rescissions package now goes to the Senate. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 3, 2025) -- Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), issued the following statement regarding the President’s proposed rescissions package sent to Congress today to claw back $1.1 billion of already appropriated funding for CPB, as well as his FY 2026 budget proposal, which eliminates all funding for public media except $30 million in closeout costs for CPB.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2025) – On May 2, the U.S. Department of Education notified the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that its 2020-2025 Ready To Learn grant is terminated, effective immediately. CPB then informed PBS and 44 public media stations in 28 states and the District of Columbia that receive Ready To Learn grants to stop work immediately, pausing the program in rural and urban communities throughout the country.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 9, 2025) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) released the following statement today from President and CEO Patricia Harrison regarding public media’s response to the wildfires spreading across Southern California.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 20, 2024) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) released the following statement from President and CEO Patricia Harrison regarding the death of José A. Fajardo, former CEO of Hawai’i Public Radio.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of José A. Fajardo, former CEO of Hawai’i Public Radio. Jose's leadership and dedication to public broadcasting helped shape Hawai’i Public Radio into the esteemed institution it is today, and his grace and courage after receiving a devastating ALS diagnosis remain an inspiration to us all.

PITTSBURGH (September 16, 2024) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced today that PBS SoCal (Southern California) has been selected as the lead station for a national public media civic content and engagement initiative. Leading into 2026 and the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, the short-form, digital first initiative will collect and share the stories of Americans describing the defining moment or experience that made them realize that they could make a difference through public service and community engagement, their “civic spark.”