Kansas public radio and television stations received $3,989,434 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2024, and the 2025 Rescissions Act ended that money. On July 15, 2025, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall voted for the motions that brought the bill to the Senate floor, each agreed to 50 to 50 with the Vice President's vote, so neither would have passed without him, and on July 17 he voted for its passage.
In between, Marshall voted against amendments and motions to strike the public broadcasting cut and to spare rural, tribal and emergency-alert stations. He said "folks back in Kansas are tired of the federal government spending a billion dollars on public broadcasting." Smoky Hills PBS in Salina said the loss eliminates half of its annual budget, and High Plains Public Radio in Garden City lost about 15% of its budget.
What It Cost: Kansas Public Stations Under the Cut Roger Marshall Voted For
- Kansas stations. Kansas public radio and television stations had received $3,989,434 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2024, according to a Senate Appropriations Democrats fact sheet, and the rescission took back the corporation's $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting through fiscal year 2027. The corporation's board then voted to dissolve itself after 58 years.
- Smoky Hills PBS in Salina. On July 18, 2025, KWCH reported that "Smoky Hills PBS, the PBS station in Salina, said on Friday that its federal funding has been eliminated," and the station said "losing the federal funding eliminates half of its annual budget," WIBW reported.
- High Plains Public Radio. High Plains Public Radio in Garden City is the only public radio station serving the five-state, mostly rural High Plains region, with stations covering 78 counties across western Kansas, eastern Colorado, southwestern Nebraska and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. The cut means a loss of $550,000 over the next two years, or about 15% of its budget.
- Kansas Public Radio. Kansas Public Radio in Lawrence said that "KPR receives about 10%, amounting to about $240,000, of its annual budget from the CPB," money that ended with the rescission.
Roger Marshall's Votes and Statements on the Public Broadcasting Cut
- Marshall Cast Deciding Votes to Bring the Public Broadcasting Cut to the Senate Floor, Then Voted to Pass It. On July 15, 2025, Roger Marshall voted yes on the motion to discharge the Rescissions Act from committee and on the motion to proceed to it. Both were agreed to 50 to 50 with the Vice President's vote, so neither would have passed without his vote. On July 17 he voted yes on final passage, and the bill passed 51 to 48 after the White House sent it to Congress to formalize cuts made by DOGE. The law took back $1.1 billion for public broadcasting through fiscal year 2027.
- Marshall Voted Against Restoring the Public Broadcasting Money and Against Sparing Rural, Tribal and Emergency-Alert Stations. On July 16, 2025, Marshall voted no on Senator Tammy Baldwin's amendment to strike the rescission of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which failed 47 to 52. The same day he voted against motions to spare stations licensed to or primarily serve rural areas or Tribal communities (roll call 395), stations designated as primary entry points in the Emergency Alert System and stations providing children’s educational programming. On July 17 he voted against Senator Lisa Murkowski's amendment to replace the public broadcasting cut with a much smaller one. High Plains Public Radio, which serves mostly rural western Kansas from Garden City, lost about 15% of the station's budget.
- Marshall Said Kansans Were Tired of Paying for Public Broadcasting and Defended the Cut. Roger Marshall said "I am proud to support this package" on June 3, 2025, when the White House sent the rescissions request to Congress. On July 14, 2025, he said on Newsmax that folks back in Kansas are tired of federal spending on public broadcasting, and on July 19 he told WIBW that Kansans "don't like their tax money being spent on stations that promote DEI." The stations his statement covered include Smoky Hills PBS, which said the loss eliminates half of its annual budget.
Frequently Asked Questions About Roger Marshall on Kansas public broadcasting
What is Roger Marshall's record on Kansas public broadcasting under Trump?
Roger Marshall cast two of the 50 votes that brought the 2025 Rescissions Act to the Senate floor on 50-to-50 ties, voted against amendments to restore the money or spare rural and tribal stations, and voted for the bill, which passed 51 to 48. He said Kansans were tired of paying for public broadcasting. The law ended federal money that made up half of its annual budget at Smoky Hills PBS in Salina.
Did Roger Marshall vote to defund NPR and PBS?
Yes. Roger Marshall voted on July 17, 2025 for the Rescissions Act, which took back the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's $1.1 billion for the next two budget years, and the corporation then voted to dissolve itself. His votes on July 15 to discharge the bill from committee and take it up were each needed on 50-to-50 ties.
Why did Roger Marshall vote to cut public radio in Kansas?
Roger Marshall told WIBW on July 19, 2025 that Kansans "don't like their tax money being spent on stations that promote DEI," and said on Newsmax that folks back in Kansas are tired of the spending. The station that serves the High Plains, High Plains Public Radio, covers 78 counties across five states.
Which Kansas public stations lost federal money because of the cut?
Under the cut Roger Marshall voted for, Smoky Hills PBS in Salina said its federal funding has been eliminated, High Plains Public Radio in Garden City lost $550,000 over the next two years, and Kansas Public Radio in Lawrence had been receiving about $240,000 a year from the corporation.
Last updated: 2026-10-25