Documentary Filmmakers Warn Against PBS Funding Cuts as Congress Considers Bill

Following the threat of cuts to funding for public television and radio, several documentary film leaders are voicing their concerns to Congress, noting the importance of maintaining this programming for viewers and listeners around the country.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $9.4 billion rescissions package, triggering a rollback of previously appropriated funds, most notably $1.1 billion in federal support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which sustains NPR, PBS, and over 1,500 local public media outlets across America. The vote passed 214–212. The bill is now in the hands of the Senate, which will decide how to move forward this month. 

Among the advocates for keeping the CPB funds intact are Gordon Quinn, the founder of Kartemquin Films, and Patricia Aufderheide, a professor at American University and the author of a popular book on documentary film. Both spoke about the bill at a panel at the DC/DOX film festival, Deadline reports. 

"If stations have their core funding cut out from under them, which is what will happen with rescission instantly, NPR and PBS have no customers," said Aufderheide. Quinn noted, “The most important thing about PBS is that ‘public’ in the name. When you deal with PBS, that little sliver of public money — and it is a sliver that Congress is just trying to claw back and take away from PBS — means they have to be accountable to a public."

Similarly, Ken Burns, the award-winning filmmaker behind documentaries like The Civil War, Jazz, and The National Parks, spoke out about the bill as well. “I couldn’t do any of the films I’ve done without them being on PBS," Burns previously said to CBS News. "It mostly serves... rural areas in which the PBS signal may be the only signal they get."

Paula Kerger, PBS's president, sent out a statement on Tuesday encouraging viewers to contact Senators in an attempt to protect the funding. "If our funding is eliminated, it endangers so many crucial services PBS and our member stations provide: from educational programming for people of all ages to emergency alerts," she said. "We empower people to build a better life for themselves and their families. We represent and serve all communities. And we make our country stronger." Viewers can make their voices heard by contacting Congress and lawmakers here. 

Among the many programs available on PBS, a large number of Broadway productions have made their way to the network. This May, under its Great Performances banner, PBS aired the 2025 edition of its "Broadway's Best series, featuring proshot recordings of Next to Normal, Yellow Face, Girl From the North Country, and Kiss Me, Kate. Other recent theater offerings include the recent Broadway revival of Purlie Victorious, the  Rodgers and Hammerstein 80th anniversary concert, and Audra McDonald at the London Palladium.

Since returning to office, the Trump administration has launched a wide-ranging effort to defund and reshape arts and cultural institutions. At the Kennedy Center, Trump dismissed the entire board, named himself chairman, and dismantled diversity-focused initiatives, sparking artist resignations, including a planned engagement of Hamilton, and audience backlash.

The administration has also slashed grants from the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, disbanded the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and targeted universities and news outlets, part of a broader ideological push critics say threatens cultural independence and expression.