U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is leading a bipartisan push for $575 million in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to be included in the upcoming government spending package. The funding bill proposed by the House eliminates advance funding for CPB, which provides direct grant support to PBS and NPR for their public television and radio stations across the country. Zeroing out funding would mean that the future of critical educational and news programming, as well as beloved shows like Sesame Street and America’s Test Kitchen, could be in jeopardy.
“PBS is a beloved institution and home to shows that millions of us grew up with,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow have helped generations of American children learn to read. PBS NewsHour delivers unbiased reporting every night. PBS also functions as an emergency alert broadcast system, and CPB funding supports the largest non-profit GED program in the country. Funding cuts could force many PBS stations off the air, and if cuts like these continue, they could potentially jeopardize many of the programs that millions of Americans know and love. I’m determined to not let that happen. I’m leading a bipartisan push to get $575 million for CPB included in the upcoming spending bill to save public broadcasting.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports over 1,500 local public television and radio stations that provide free, high-quality programming to millions of households across America. It provides young children who don’t get the chance to attend preschool with educational content that helps them learn to read; airs highly trusted nightly news programming; and shares critical public safety information during emergencies. Local public television stations also provide extensive coverage of local government and elections and host candidate debates, helping Americans stay connected with their elected leaders. Because public television and radio rely heavily on federal funding to operate, particularly in rural communities, losing this funding would force many of these stations to reduce or even eliminate much of their programming.
