Trump-Backed Bill Slashes $9B: Public Media Lifelines Face Silence Across US
United States: The national airwaves trembled this week as public broadcasting heads sounded the alarm over a seismic Senate decision, spearheaded by President Donald Trump’s latest legislative triumph. A newly passed bill carves away $9 billion, gutting federal lifelines to PBS, NPR, and public broadcasting at large — a move top media stewards decry as both reckless and unjust.
PBS’s Kerger: “This Isn’t What Americans Want”
Paula Kerger, the longstanding helmswoman of PBS, denounced the Senate’s green light on the defunding maneuver, branding it a direct affront to the populace’s collective will.
“These draconian reductions won’t just sting — they’ll eviscerate vital access, particularly in secluded corners of our country,” she stated. “Stations that serve as cultural touchstones and broadcast sirens for local crises will now face soul-wrenching dilemmas: cut programming or shutter completely.”