It’s a sad day for Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Arthur and many of the other beloved and important PBS children’s animated and live-action shows made possible through the years by funding from the federal government. Public TV, NPR and public stations are facing the loss of $1.1 billion in funding, as the Republican-run House voted to take back the funds previously allocated for public broadcasting. For decades, Republicans had attempted to take away the funding for this important institution, and they were finally able to realize their goals during the first six months of Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president.
On Friday, the House voted 216 to 213 (including all but two Republicans) early Friday for the “rescissions” package which was sent to Congress on the request of Trump. The $9 billion in cuts also include rollbacks in funding to foreign aid and health programs. The bill now goes to Trump for his signature.
An early analysis by Public Media Company identified 78 public radio organizations and 37 TV organizations that were at risk of going dark as a result of the cuts. The stations rely on grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal funding for at least 30 percent of their budgets.
PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger noted in a statement, “The Senate approval ultimately goes against the will of the American people, the vast majority of whom trust PBS and believe it provides excellent value to their communities. These cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be especially devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas. Many of our stations that provide access to free and unique local programming and emergency alerts will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead.”
She added, “There is nothing more American than PBS. Despite today’s setback, we are determined to keep fighting to preserve the essential services we provide to the American public.”
After the vote, Trump posted on Truth Social, “HOUSE APPROVES NINE BILLION DOLLAR CUTS PACKAGE, INCLUDING ATROCIOUS NPR AND PUBLIC BROADCASTING, WHERE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR WERE WASTED. REPUBLICANS HAVE TRIED DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS, AND FAILED….BUT NO MORE. THIS IS BIG!!!”
Sources: CNN, The New York Times
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