On June 12, 2025, Ashley Hinson cast one of the votes the House needed to pass the Rescissions Act, which took back the federal money for public radio and television, and on July 18 she voted for the rule that sent the final bill to the President. In floor remarks she urged the House to cut off funds for NPR and PBS.
In Iowa the cut took about 18% of the Iowa PBS budget and about a tenth of Iowa Public Radio's, which said it would leave a reporter and music production position unfilled.
What the Public Broadcasting Cut Ashley Hinson Voted For Cost Iowa Stations
- Iowa PBS. Iowa PBS said in February 2026 that the July 2025 law cut federal funding, "resulting in an 18% reduction to Iowa PBS’s annual budget, approximately $3.5 million", and that "The cut represents the largest loss of public funding in the station’s history."
- Iowa Public Radio. Iowa Public Radio said in its 2025 impact report that it "lost $1 million in annual funding" when federal money for public broadcasting ended, about 10% of its budget, and that "The effects were immediate. We slowed hiring and left positions vacant, downsized our studio and office spaces, delayed needed maintenance of critical infrastructure, and squeezed every line item in our budget."
- Transmitters and towers. The cut reduces the money Iowa Public Radio sets aside for upkeep of the transmitters, antennas and transmission lines at the state’s 27 stations, and the federal money had helped Iowa PBS maintain its statewide network of nine broadcast towers, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
- Reading service for blind Iowans. The Iowa Radio Reading Information Service, whose volunteers read the news aloud for Iowans with visual impairments, travels on the public radio and television systems; its director said, "if they are not able to keep their infrastructure up to speed, then they go down, we go down."
- Federal money Iowa stations lost. Iowa public radio and television stations had received Iowa $4,723,772 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in fiscal 2024, according to CPB data compiled by Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats.
- Quad Cities station. WQPT, the PBS station serving our communities here in Iowa & Illinois in the Quad Cities, said WQPT PBS will lose half of its funding, and WQPT staff will be cut down from eight to six people.
Ashley Hinson's Votes and Statements on the Public Broadcasting Rescission
- Hinson Cast One of the Votes the House Needed to Pass the Public Broadcasting Rescission, in June 2025. On June 12, 2025, Ashley Hinson voted yes on H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act, which passed the House 214 to 212, a margin at which a switch by her alone would have tied the vote, and a tie fails. The bill took back money Congress had already approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds Iowa Public Radio and Iowa PBS. The final law ended up clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting through fiscal year 2027, NPR reported, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced its board voted to dissolve itself after 58 years as an organization.
- Hinson Voted for the Rule That Sent the Public Broadcasting Rescission to the President, in July 2025. On July 18, 2025, Hinson voted for H.Res. 590, which was adopted 216 to 213; on its adoption the House was deemed and to have concurred in the Senate amendment to H.R. 4, which sent the bill to the President. Iowa Public Radio's executive director told the Iowa Capital Dispatch that day that the network likely cannot fill open positions, including a reporter and music production position, and may have to consider downsizing our office and studio footprints.
- Hinson Urged the House to Cut Off Federal Money for NPR and PBS in June 2025. In House floor remarks her office released on June 13, 2025, Hinson said, "This package also rescinds funds for NPR and PBS", and said public broadcasting has not adhered to objectivity standards enshrined in law. Iowa PBS's general manager said of the lost money: "It could be six months, nine months before that programming starts to dry up."
Frequently Asked Questions About Ashley Hinson on Iowa public media
How did Ashley Hinson vote on cuts to NPR, PBS, Iowa Public Radio and Iowa PBS?
Ashley Hinson voted for the Rescissions Act on June 12, 2025, when it passed by two votes, and for the rule that sent the final bill to the President on July 18, 2025. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that Every member of Iowa’s all-GOP federal delegation in the U.S. House and Senate voted in favor of the package.
What did Ashley Hinson say about public broadcasting?
Ashley Hinson told the House in June 2025 that "This package also rescinds funds for NPR and PBS" and that public broadcasting has pushed biased narratives and forced inappropriate content on children, according to the floor remarks her office released.
Is Iowa PBS still on the air after losing federal money?
Yes, but Iowa PBS said in February 2026 that the law Ashley Hinson voted for left it asking Iowans for more donations during a pledge drive, and that In July 2025, Congress eliminated federal funding for public media. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which had sent the money, voted to dissolve itself.
Last updated: 2026-10-25