Not Elmo! Why Would Congress Take Away PBS Funding Already Allocated?

July 17, 2025

Betty Casey,

As I sit here at my desk, I’m listening to the “1A” show on WAMU. I got caught up in the topic on my way to the office, so I livestreamed it to hear the rest. The show is about how people can change their personality. I’m always looking for ways to improve myself – good to know that science supports my efforts! NPR calls these “driveway moments.” I confess that I have a lot of them while listening to “1A.” (Full disclosure, my daughter worked for an NPR station in Illinois and as a producer for “1A” in Washington DC).

The Senate approved cuts to NPR and PBS as part of the $9 billion rescission package to claw back money that had already been allocated to public broadcasting. The Senate passed the bill (all OK lawmakers voting for it), and it will now almost certainly pass in the House.* PBS will have zero federal budget – and remember, this was money that had ALREADY been allocated that is being clawed back.

What!? Does this mean no more “Sesame Street”? Those characters are like family. My adult daughters argue about whether my dog looks more like Big Bird or Elmo. (I think she looks like Big Bird but has Elmo’s personality). What about my Masterpiece Mysteries? Will those mysteriously disappear? And local programming like the interviews on “Osiyo TV” – will that go away? There are so many shows that stations may not have the funding to continue and we – the public in Public Broadcasting – will not be able to see.

Potential (and probable) consequences include closing smaller stations in rural areas as well as fewer original shows because the commercial-free content on PBS was funded by taxpayers. The stations also provide local programming and critical emergency alerts. Rural areas are particularly dependent on the federal dollars.

We will miss cultural and educational shows – did anyone watch the Ken Burns documentary on our National Parks? Talk about American Exceptionalism!

Critics say that public media has a liberal bias. I challenge them to actually listen to shows on NPR and to watch PBS. I know that when my daughter was a producer for a show that aired political topics, she was constantly worried about finding guests who could speak to all sides of an issue. If people only want to hear their own opinions echoed back to them, then there are plenty of cable news/entertainment programs to watch that will regurgitate whatever view you hold 24/7.

PBS stations are already laying off staff. If your kids love “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” they may be seeing less of him. Daniel’s neighborhood is about to shrink.

Why did congressional republicans vote against PBS? They voted for a spending bill that gave tax cuts to the uber-wealthy, while ballooning the deficit. Taking back public broadcasting’s already allocated funds is a drop in the budget bucket. It certainly won’t make up for the tax cuts to billionaires.

More importantly, senators (two republicans did vote with democrats against the rescission package) voted against what their constituents want. Americans, in general, love PBS.

It garners a #1 position for public trust among commercial cable and broadcast TV, newspapers, streaming services, etc. in 2025 for the 22^nd consecutive year. People TRUST PBS!
Americans love PBS’s children’s programming. (How much to your kids enjoy PBS Kids, including games and video apps?) This programming is designed to help build school readiness.
77% of us say it offers excellent value to communities.
66% of taxpayers rate it as a high value, second behind military defense at 73%. (Public Broadcasting costs only about $1.60 per person each year)
Public television is watched by 58% of households.
PBS is important in areas with limited or no internet.
PBS has a mission to serve the public – you and me – and that means keeping us safe. The PBS WARN Website (warn.pbs.org) displays every Wireless Emergency Alert issued in the U.S. and its territories. PBS WARN can deliver emergency alerts when other systems fail.

There are many more reasons to fund PBS. What about “Reading Rainbow”? My kids loved that show, and it helped them love books and reading. I don’t know if the House republicans have the will to save PBS funding from being pulled back. If it goes through, we – the public – will be less informed, less safe and have less access to a trusted source of family programming.

I’ll leave you with Elmo’s LinkedIn post: