Government Affairs Update: Threat to Public Media Funding and Travel Ban

The political landscape in Washington, DC continues to evolve daily. Chorus America needs to hear from you: How are the federal government’s actions affecting your work? All stories of specific impact are welcome. Please share your experience here. Thank you to those members who have already shared their stories with us. 

Visit our Government Affairs Resource Page for more tools.

These government affairs updates are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended as legal advice. Nonprofit arts organizations should consult with legal counsel for guidance specific to their circumstances.

The Threat to Public Media Funding

This week, the Senate held a Hearing on the President’s Rescission Act of 2025 which asks Congress to claw back previously approved funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio. The Hearing demonstrated that there is some bi-partisan concern for the Rescission package, with Republican Senators Collins (R-ME), Round (R-SD), McConnell (R-KY), and Murkowski (R-AK) voicing concerns about different aspects of the proposed cuts. If Congress approves the White House’s request, CPB and NPR would lose funding that primarily goes to local stations.

By statute, more than 70% of CPB's annual federal appropriation goes directly to more than 1,500 local public media stations, and less than 5% is allocated to CPB administrative costs.  -CPB

Read more about CPB’s funding structure here. 

The House has already approved the President’s Rescission Action, which also includes cuts to USAID and the Institute for Peace. The Senate has until July 18 to take action on the bill.

Foreign Guest Artists & the Travel Ban

This month, following the Administration’s announced travel ban, Artists From Abroad posted an update related to the engagement of foreign guest artists. There is full restriction and limitation of entry for Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. There is partial restriction and limitation of entry for Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

Read the detailed guidance for arts organizations on the Artists From Abroad alert page here.