PBS has announced that PBS News Weekend will conclude its broadcasts on January 11, attributing the decision to federal budget cuts. The organization confirmed this in a statement on social media, indicating that the reworking of staffing and programming was necessitated by these financial constraints.

This announcement follows a vote by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to dissolve itself by January 5, 2026. This dissolution process was initiated after federal funding was rescinded due to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in May 2025, along with a $9 billion rescissions package passed by Congress later that year. CPB President Patricia Harrison stated that the organization’s final act would be to protect the integrity of public media and democratic values by dissolving rather than remaining defunded and vulnerable.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed support for the budget cuts, labeling them as a means to eliminate what he described as wasteful spending on media outlets perceived as politically biased, such as NPR and PBS.

In a video accompanying the announcement, John Yang, the outgoing anchor of PBS News Weekend, reflected on the program's coverage of significant events, including the October 7 attacks in Israel and political developments involving President Trump and President Biden. Yang noted that while he would be leaving PBS News, many team members would continue to produce new programming.

Additionally, the Arkansas Educational Television Commission has voted to disaffiliate from PBS by July 1, 2026, citing the financial burden of annual membership dues and the loss of federal funding. Arkansas PBS plans to rebrand as “Arkansas TV” and focus on local programming, seeking support from individual donors and corporate sponsors.

A report from NewsBusters, referenced by Breitbart News, indicated that PBS NewsHour had a negative coverage rate of congressional Republicans at 85 percent. Critics have pointed to PBS’s children’s programming as evidence of bias, particularly regarding content that includes LGBTQ+ themes and antiracism messaging.

Concerns have been raised about the potential impact of PBS funding cuts on children's educational media. An opinion piece from MSNBC suggested that such cuts could lead to a shift towards alternatives like PragerU Kids, which has been characterized as a platform promoting ideological content. PragerU Kids is currently recognized as an educational resource in several states, focusing on pro-American and constitutional themes.