Oppose Funding Cuts to NPR and PBS
Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to cease all federal funding of NPR and PBS, calling the broadcasters “biased” and “woke propaganda.”
Just two weeks ago, the Trump administration was trying to starve local National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations by demanding $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that disburses funding to public media organizations and local stations throughout the U.S. While this amount is a small percentage of the overall budgets of NPR and PBS, most of the federal funding goes to local member stations to keep news departments afloat and able to produce local programming.
These funding cuts are part of a larger effort to dismantle the nation’s public broadcasting system, spearheaded by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Taylor Greene chairs the DOGE subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight, and seeks to end all funding for public broadcasting. Her committee began hearings under the moniker “Anti-American Airwaves.”
The 1000 or so NPR-affiliated stations and 336 local PBS stations are budgeted by Congress to receive about a half-billion dollars in public funding in 2025 and also in 2026, which accounts for less than 1/100th of a percent of the federal budget.
98% of Americans live within range of one of the more than 1000 public radio stations, which provide important local news coverage at a time when such coverage is declining on mainstream media. In addition, many NPR stations are the only source of emergency bulletins, and in some rural areas with limited broadband access, are the only sources of news at all.
Demand your representatives oppose any cuts to our public broadcasting services. You can find who represents you here and this is the number to the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202)-224-3121. The script to make calls is below.
YOUR SCRIPT:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, STATE].
I'm calling to demand Sen./Rep. [NAME] oppose any cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including Trump's demand to cut funding for NPR and PBS.
Money for NPR and PBS is well-spent on valuable news, information, and educational programming for the American public, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied
The only reason Trump wants to defund PBS and NPR is that they tell the truth not propaganda that Trump likes.
TRUMP GETS REVENGE ON PUPPETS WHO EXPOSED HIM
Donald Trump has yanked all federal funding from PBS. The excuse? “Woke programming.” The real reason? A 30-year vendetta against Sesame Street—because the Muppets made fun of him, and they got it right.
Since the late ’80s, Sesame Street has skewered Trump with a series of Grouch parodies that now feel less like satire and more like early reporting. Grump was a trash-hoarding con man in a cheap suit, obsessed with building pointless towers, scamming communities, and inflating his self-worth. He barked orders, fired the competent, and always—always—got thrown out when people saw through the act.
Sound familiar?
That’s the storyline Trump never forgave. Because unlike his voters, the puppets didn’t fall for it.
These weren’t just puppet skits. They were damning character studies. And Trump never got over the felt-based humiliation.
So here we are. The President of the United States, in the midst of economic collapse and civil unrest, has prioritized a petty revenge mission against a children’s television network. Not because it’s dangerous. But because it told the truth—louder, earlier, and with more moral clarity than any news anchor ever dared.
This is what authoritarian fragility looks like: a president wielding state power to silence a show that hurt his feelings. Because Sesame Street committed the gravest MAGA sin—telling the truth in public.
See Sesame Street’s takedown of Trump here:
https://substack.com/@patricemersault/note/c-114158331