The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has abandoned its grant program for the Next Generation Warning System. The move came after Congress passed a federal rescissions package that massively defunded public media.
That has Florida elected officials alarmed about whether local public broadcast outlets will be able to warn citizens about the next hurricane.
“My colleagues across the State of Florida should be outraged and immediately join me to demand President (Donald) Trump reinstate funding to this Warning System,” U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Tampa Democrat, posted on X.
The warning system was originally funded in 2022, when $136 million was budgeted over three years for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to partner with CPB on the program. Since then, CPB led the hiring process for the effort and solicited requests for applications from local stations.
CBP was established as a private nonprofit in 1967 to manage funding to public broadcasting outlets across the country. But funding for the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio stations came under fire from the Republican-controlled Congress this year. Conservatives in the body for years have complained about subsidizing media, particularly those with a perceived liberal bias.
U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican, cheered passage of a rescissions package in June that cut $9.4 billion in spending, including the public broadcasting money.
“Taxpayers deserve an efficient, accountable government. H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, cuts reckless, politically biased spending identified by DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) and takes a critical step toward fiscal health,” he said on the House floor.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis this year also vetoed $1.3 million in funding for public radio and $4.4 million for TV stations, so there’s no reprieve coming in state dollars either.
Notably, CBP said it has prioritized sending grants to rural and disaster-prone areas, such as coastal Florida markets. The program issued $21.6 million in 2022 across 44 grants. But the program saw $110 million requested from 175 more stations nationwide.
“CPB has been fully invested in the NGWS program and its mission to protect the American public,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB President and CEO. “This is one more example of rescission consequences impacting local public media stations and the communities they serve — in this case, weakening the capacity of local public media stations to support the safety and preparedness of their communities.”
CPB officials said FEMA should take over the responsibility of distributing funds. Otherwise, the money will go unused.
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