Defund Government-Sponsored Propaganda Act

Senate Bill

S. 518

119th Congress

Defund Government-Sponsored Propaganda Act

In Committee

Introduced:Feb 11, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Mike Lee

Senator

Republican

UT

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Science, Technology, Communications

Summary

This bill prohibits federal funding for PBS, NPR, and any successor organizations. Public broadcast stations could not use federal funds to pay dues to or purchase programming from PBS or NPR. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting must transfer certain funds to Treasury for debt reduction.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill prohibits federal funding for PBS, NPR, and any successor organizations. Public broadcast stations could not use federal funds to pay dues to or purchase programming from PBS or NPR. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting must transfer certain funds to Treasury for debt reduction.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Defund Government-Sponsored Propaganda ActThis bill prohibits federal funding of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), National Public Radio (NPR), and any successor organization to PBS or NPR. The prohibition extends to the payment of dues to or the purchase of programming from PBS or NPR by a public broadcast station using federal funds. The bill also directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to transfer to the Department of the Treasury for the purpose of reducing the public debt an amount equal to certain funding that would have otherwise been provided to PBS or NPR in FY2025-FY2027.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Prohibits federal funding for PBS and NPR
Bars federal funds for dues or programming purchases
Redirects funding to public debt reduction
Covers PBS, NPR, and successor organizations
Affects Corporation for Public Broadcasting transfers

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

PBS and NPR would lose federal funding support, potentially affecting programming and operations at local public broadcast stations. Rural and smaller market stations that depend more heavily on federal support could be particularly affected.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Science, Technology, Communications

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

518, 119th Congress (2025). "Defund Government-Sponsored Propaganda Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-518