While it’s not a surprise to many but the United States House voted to take back $9.4 billion in federal funding from Foreign AID and public broadcasting at the request of Donald Trump, who continuously accuses NPR and PBS of bias against conservative viewpoints and continuing to paint Mainstream Media as the “Enemy of the People.”
The measure passed along party lines, 214 to 212, with two key Republican lawmakers switching their votes from “no” to “yes” to pass the legislation. This legislation was the first request from the Trump administration to claw back money that was already approved in annual spending bills. This bill reflects a list of cuts totaling $9.4 billion that were requested by the Office of Management and Budget. The bulk of the cuts, $8.3 billion were to foreign aid programs that addressed global public health, international disaster assistance, and hunger relief. The vote was also a win for the former “First Buddy,” and billionaire advisor Elon Musk, who oversaw DoGE (Department of Government Efficiency, also parroted the same baseless claims that NPR and PBS were “very biased” and were “a waste of money.” Meanwhile, the remainder would slash $1.1 billion that was allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes nearly all of the funds to local television and radio stations, for the next two fiscal years. By law, it is supposed to be approved in advance as part of an effort to insulate public broadcasting from political influence over fleeting issues. That spending had been approved by both Republican-led chambers of Congress and signed into law by Trump earlier this year. Before the legislation was passed, a group of senators wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, arguing that the proposed clawback the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) “would have detrimental effects on local stations, which rely on this funding to provide critical services to millions of Americans across the country.”
CPB, which is privately incorporated in Washington DC, is suing the Trump Administration over Trump’s efforts to exert control over its board. CPB, NPR, and PBS have issued statements that decried the vote, and executives from two of the networks have urged the Senate to put a stop to the legislation. After the vote, Trump took to his Truth Social account, continuing to attack PBS and NPR, saying “For decades, Republicans have promised to cut NPR, but have never done it, until now. NPR and PBS are a Radical Left Disaster, and 1000% against the Republican Party!” the senate could pass it in majority or not act on it. Congress has 45 days to act on Trump’s rescissions request, meaning that the Senate has five more weeks to pass it, or the funding will go to public media as planned. While Trump, GOP Lawmakers, and Critics of NPR, PBS, and CPB celebrate the legislation passing the House, there is still opposition in their party concerning cutting public broadcasting, one that could cost them in the long run, both in office and in respect from their constituents.
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Time for a history lesson. On May 1, 1969, Fred Rogers, host of the longtime children’s television landmark Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, appeared in Washington before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications to express his disagreement with a proposal by President Richard Nixon to cut federal funding for public broadcasting from $20 million to $10 million. In his address to the subcommittee chairman, Senator John O. Pastore, Rogers outlined his submitted testimony, stating that “one of the first things… a child learns in a healthy family is trust, and I trust… that you will read this. It’s very important to me.”
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Fred Rogers detailed the emotional impact that television had on children and how it could be used to provide a guiding influence to them. He would also list his show’s budget, which consisted of $6,000 and was equal to the cost of “less than two minutes of cartoons,” referred to by Rogers as “animated bombardment.” The Senator’s tough demeanor would eventually soften as Rogers continued his passionate testimony. Pastore said that Fred Rogers’ plea had given him “goosebumps.” Pastore effused: “I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s wonderful,” and, after a slight pause, he made his conclusion clear: “Looks like you just earned the twenty million dollars.”
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Sources: USA TODAY, NY TIMES, DEADLINE, NPR (2)
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