"The Trump administration just canceled federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds all your favorite public radio stations and television channels." --Lottie MIlls, 7th grade
Did you watch PBS kids when you were a child? Or maybe you rely on PBS news and NPR radio stations for your news updates. The Trump administration just canceled federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds all your favorite public radio stations and television channels.
CPB is the corporation that funds locally operated and controlled public radio and television stations. It also provides funding for educational media, filmmakers, and everything between local and international news stations. Those include things like PBS kids and news hour, and NPR stations all around the country.
“It sucks, the newer generations are gonna grow up less educated,”said Cece Burger, an 8th grader at Oakland School for the Arts. Naomi Stallworth, however, has a different opinion. “I understand why they did it, due to less people using it.”
On the White House’s website, the Trump administration posted on May 1st that “The CPB’s governing statute reflects principles of impartiality: the CPB may not ‘contribute to or otherwise support any political party.’ The CPB fails to abide by these principles to the extent it subsidizes NPR and PBS. Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens. I therefore instruct the CPB Board of Directors (CPB Board) and all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS.”
Without the funding from CPB, these stations and channels may have to shut down. An article from Common Cause said that, “In 2011, an NPR report found that if it lost federal funding, up to 18% of its member stations would be forced to close, and that up to 30% of listeners would lose access to NPR programing. Stations in the Midwest, South, and West would be most heavily impacted. Similarly, local PBS stations would also bear the brunt of federal funding cuts.” This means that once this is passed, a lot of local PBS and NPR stations will have to shut down.
On July 18th, the House approved Trump’s proposal for a rescission package that will impact the CPB. Now, the CPB is facing the reality that they might have to shut down. Without federal funding, it is difficult for them to keep their operations up and running. According to the NPR website, “CPB informed employees that the majority of staff positions will be eliminated with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025.” Patricia Harrison, the CEO of CPB, said in a statement that, “CPB remains committed to fulfilling responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”
Amelia Whitcomb, a teacher at Oakland School for the Arts, and a fan of PBS and NPR, feels sad about these changes. “I grew up with PBS,” she says, “With Sesame Street, and PBS programming.” Whitcomb feels that the canceled federal funding is unfair. She’s not the only one that feels this way. In a recent survey, it was found that seven out of nine people feel upset about the federal funding cuts. The Trump administration has received a lot of pushback for canceling the funding, especially from the affected communities. But it’s not just citizens opposing the budget cuts. Some of the senate members are opposing the bill as well. According to an article on the current website, "Nearly 30 Senate Democrats also signed a June 4th letter to Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) opposing the rescission of CPB funds.”
So which one will you do? Will you vouch for this bill, or oppose it? The choice is yours.
CPB is the corporation that funds locally operated and controlled public radio and television stations. It also provides funding for educational media, filmmakers, and everything between local and international news stations. Those include things like PBS kids and news hour, and NPR stations all around the country.
“It sucks, the newer generations are gonna grow up less educated,”said Cece Burger, an 8th grader at Oakland School for the Arts. Naomi Stallworth, however, has a different opinion. “I understand why they did it, due to less people using it.”
On the White House’s website, the Trump administration posted on May 1st that “The CPB’s governing statute reflects principles of impartiality: the CPB may not ‘contribute to or otherwise support any political party.’ The CPB fails to abide by these principles to the extent it subsidizes NPR and PBS. Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens. I therefore instruct the CPB Board of Directors (CPB Board) and all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS.”
Without the funding from CPB, these stations and channels may have to shut down. An article from Common Cause said that, “In 2011, an NPR report found that if it lost federal funding, up to 18% of its member stations would be forced to close, and that up to 30% of listeners would lose access to NPR programing. Stations in the Midwest, South, and West would be most heavily impacted. Similarly, local PBS stations would also bear the brunt of federal funding cuts.” This means that once this is passed, a lot of local PBS and NPR stations will have to shut down.
On July 18th, the House approved Trump’s proposal for a rescission package that will impact the CPB. Now, the CPB is facing the reality that they might have to shut down. Without federal funding, it is difficult for them to keep their operations up and running. According to the NPR website, “CPB informed employees that the majority of staff positions will be eliminated with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025.” Patricia Harrison, the CEO of CPB, said in a statement that, “CPB remains committed to fulfilling responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”
Amelia Whitcomb, a teacher at Oakland School for the Arts, and a fan of PBS and NPR, feels sad about these changes. “I grew up with PBS,” she says, “With Sesame Street, and PBS programming.” Whitcomb feels that the canceled federal funding is unfair. She’s not the only one that feels this way. In a recent survey, it was found that seven out of nine people feel upset about the federal funding cuts. The Trump administration has received a lot of pushback for canceling the funding, especially from the affected communities. But it’s not just citizens opposing the budget cuts. Some of the senate members are opposing the bill as well. According to an article on the current website, "Nearly 30 Senate Democrats also signed a June 4th letter to Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) opposing the rescission of CPB funds.”
So which one will you do? Will you vouch for this bill, or oppose it? The choice is yours.
