Congress is expected to vote Wednesday, June 11, and Thursday, June 12, on a proposal to rescind federal funding for public media that was approved by Congress two years ago.
This funding was already built into our budget and essential to the work we do at KAXE every day.
If passed, this vote would eliminate essential support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB — funding that powers our local reporting, emergency communications and public service programming. This support makes up about 13% of our overall operating budget.
Why it matters for Northern Minnesota
Over the past weeks, our team has provided up-to-date wildfire coverage, including a liveblog with evacuation notices, road closure updates and resources to help people protect their homes, health and families. In rural areas like ours, where information can be hard to access and conditions can change fast, this kind of reporting saves lives.
This federal support also helps us:
- Share real-time emergency alerts during storms, fires and outages
- Provide local election guides and candidate forums
- Deliver daily news updates focused on Northern Minnesota
- Support classroom partnerships and student-produced content
- Keep KAXE free and accessible to everyone — no paywall, no barriers
Public media funding: Small investment, big impact
Federal support for public media accounts for less than 0.01% of the federal budget — about $1.60 per taxpayer — but it’s essential for keeping stations like KAXE on the air and online.
Without it, the local coverage you rely on is at risk.
What is rescission?
A rescission is a rarely used process that allows the White House to propose canceling federal funds that were already approved by Congress. In this case, the administration is asking Congress to take back funding for public media that was authorized two years ago. The 45-day window for congressional action is already underway and will close on July 18.
The process includes a procedural vote scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, with the full vote expected Thursday. If both the House and Senate approve the rescission, the funding will be permanently eliminated. If they reject it or take no action by the deadline, the funding will remain in place. That’s why we need your voice now, while there’s still time to protect this vital support.
Take action now
Visit ProtectMyPublicMedia.org.
Tell Congress to oppose rescission and protect federal funding for public media.
Even if you’ve contacted your representatives before, we need you to speak up again — today.
Your voice can help protect KAXE’s service for the years to come.
Thank you for standing with us.
