Native radio stations shielded in Senate funding deal amid NPR‑PBS cuts

A deal secured by South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds and White House budget director Russ Vought will redirect $9.4 million from the Interior Department to support at least two dozen Native American radio stations in multiple states, according to the North Dakota Monitor.

Funding for public broadcasting is under threat as the U.S. Senate debates a bill to rescind $9 billion in previously approved spending. Prairie Public CEO John Harris said the state’s PBS station could lose about $2 million over two years if federal funding is cut. Stations such as KEYA, which serves the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, rely heavily on federal grants and would struggle to survive without them.

North Dakota Monitor