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Hi,

It's now been nearly five months since Donald Trump signed legislation
defunding public broadcasting — and the blows to public media just keep on
coming.^1

Last week, Arkansas' public television network officially broke ties with
PBS, citing the loss of federal funding. Going forward, shows like Sesame
Street, Antiques Roadshow, and PBS News Hour will no longer be available
to viewers in the state.^2

This comes after PBS laid off 15% of its staff, New Jersey PBS announced
it would go off the air next summer, and over 50 local stations around the
country announced layoffs.^3,4,5 Without renewed federal support, more
than 115 other stations could cease operations in the year ahead.^6

But this fight is NOT over. The U.S. Senate is about to take up
legislation that could restore funding for public broadcasting, and we're
mobilizing tens of thousands of people to demand that Congress restore
funding now!



[ [link removed] ]Will you make a donation to help save public radio and television, and
push for other key reforms?




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Trump's defunding of public broadcasting has nothing to do with saving
taxpayer money. The entire federal contribution to public broadcasting was
around $550 million a year — or less than $1.60 per American.^7 For
comparison, the cost of Trump's ballroom renovation alone is $300
million.^8

The reason Trump wants to kill off public broadcasting is because it's a
threat to his authoritarian takeover.

Every autocrat knows that in order to suppress dissent, they must control
the news and information that people receive. With MAGA billionaires in
control of the biggest social media platforms and buying up major news
outlets like CBS, he's well on his way.^9

But if we act now, we can save public broadcasting.

The U.S. Senate will soon begin debate on appropriations bills for FY2026,
and funding for local public radio and TV stations absolutely must be
included. We've already mobilized more than 100,000 people to contact
Congress in support of protecting public media this year, and now we need
to ramp it up.



[ [link removed] ]Will you make a donation to help support our work, including restoring
funding for public radio and television?



Thanks for taking action,

Joey and the team at Demand Progress Action


[ [link removed] ]DONATE


Sources:

1. PBS, "Trump signs bill canceling $9 billion in foreign aid and public
broadcasting funding," [ [link removed] ]July 24, 2025.
2. Arkansas Times, "RIP, Arkansas PBS," [ [link removed] ]December 11, 2025. 
3. Axios, "PBS slashes 15% of its staff after federal funding cuts,"
[ [link removed] ]September 5, 2025.
4. Corporation for Public Broadcasting, "The Impact of the Federal
Rescission on Public Media," [ [link removed] ]October 9, 2025.
5. WHYY, "NJ PBS, New Jersey's only dedicated public television channel,
will cease operations in the Garden State next summer," [ [link removed] ]September 23,
2025.
6. Protect My Public Media, "Urge Congress: Save Our Stations,"
[ [link removed] ]accessed December 17, 2025.
7. Protect My Public Media, "About Protect My Public Media," [ [link removed] ]accessed
December 5, 2025.
8. ABC News, "New images show White House East Wing leveled for $300
million ballroom," [ [link removed] ]November 17, 2025.
9. Zeteo, "The MAGA Moguls' Media Takeover," [ [link removed] ]December 9, 2025.


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