Trump budget proposal eliminates national service that offers critical educational, cultural, and news programming

Washington (February 14, 2018) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) today sent a letter to President Donald Trump communicating their opposition to the complete elimination of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in the White House Fiscal Year 2019 budget. CPB supports nearly 1,500 locally-owned and operated public television and public radio stations across the country and provides virtually all Americans with access to educational content and top-caliber local, regional, and national news.

“Federal funding for the CPB, which historically receives broad public support, helps provide high-quality, informative, and educational programming produced by locally-owned and operated public television and radio stations reaching virtually every household in our country,” write Senators Markey and Gillibrand. “Any funding cuts to the CPB could create a content deficit where the public no longer has access to enriching educational, civic, and entertainment shows for all Americans, regardless of ethnic, racial or socio-economic background.” 

A copy of the Senators’ letter can be found HERE.

In the letter, the Senators argue that CPB’s educational programming is especially important for American families and low-income communities. With more than half of our nation’s three and four-year-olds not attending preschool, PBS KIDS and the Ready To Learn Initiative serve as a key source of educational media, as PBS stations reach more low-income children between two and eight-years-old than any other children’s TV network.

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