A White House source confirmed to National Public Radio (NPR) that the Trump administration will send a plan to Congress proposing a federal funding cut to public media, including the 54-year-old outlet and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
The memo will reportedly be presented to legislators on April 28. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Senate will have 45 days to approve the nearly total monetary severance or restore funding.
Trump indicated on April 1 that such a move was coming.
“REPUBLICANS MUST DEFUND AND TOTALLY DISASSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM NPR & PBS, THE RADICAL LEFT ‘MONSTERS’ THAT SO BADLY HURT OUR COUNTRY!” the president posted on his social media site.
GOP leaders, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have taken issue with Sesame Street characters like Big Bird, who was used to assure children that vaccines were not to be feared during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Government propaganda…for your 5-year-old!” Cruz raged on social media in 2021.
While the White House didn’t formally confirm NPR’s report, it complained to the network on Monday that outlets like itself had for years “spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news'” at a cost to American taxpayers.
NPR expects the Trump administration to rescind more than $1 billion to the congressionally chartered Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which partially funds NPR and PBS.
NPR syndicates 1,300 radio shows heard across the country, including “NPR News Now,” arts program “Fresh Air” and “The Best of Car Talk,” which discusses automotive issues.
The nonprofit media organization argued in a statement that it’s essential in serving the public interest.
“Eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would have a devastating impact on American communities across the nation that rely on public radio for trusted local and national news, culture, lifesaving emergency alerts and public safety information,” according to NPR.
NPR said it receives about 1% of its funding directly from the federal government while its member institutions collect up to 10% from CPB. PBS, which didn’t comment on NPR’s report, relies on CPB for roughly 15% of its revenue.
