Congress rolls back on media funding
The US Congress is deciding this week if it will go along with a request from US President Donald Trump to cut over $1 billion in support for public radio and TV stations in the US. The deadline for the decision is Friday, July 18.
Lately, Congress approved a big new bill that President Trump proposed . That law cut taxes and is going to add close to $3.3 trillion to the money the US owes.
This bill that Congress is considering is different from a new law. It’s a lot of
rescissions. President Trump requested the rescissions about 2 months ago, and was bill was passed by the House of Representatives on June.
By the law, the rescissions must be approved by Congress within 45 days, or it will fail. The deadline is this Friday.
The bill takes $1.1 billion of cuts at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is known for its PBS TV network and NPR radio network.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a company established by the US government in 1967 to help support public broadcasting.
Together, NPR and PBS have over 1,500 stations in the US. The networks give people news, entertainment, and educational programs. The networks don’t have ads, and they are supported by donations and government money.
Both NPR and PBS have big programs. PBS is known for its educational programs, like Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Importantly , stations serve many places,where they provide sources of local news and emergency information.
Republicans have complained that the news reporting on these stations is not fair for a long time. In the past, Republicans have made some efforts to cut off money to the CPB.
If government money for the CPB were cut, it would make it really hard for NPR and PBS, but it wouldn’t stop them completely. These groups have enough support from other sources to survive .
But cuts to the CPB might end small stations. Many of these stations depend almost completely on the US government. Without it, many would have to end.
President Trump can get the changes he wants through rescissions. If it works, President Trump and his team say they hope to make other cuts too.
The rules for approving rescissions aren’t really strict, so President Trump can get the changes he wants. But the vote is expected to be hard in the Senate. The Senate majority leader, John Thune, is in charge of trying to pass the bill.
Democrats say it’s hard to trust Republicans because they use rescissions to try to take back money they have already agreed on.
The House barely approved President Trump’s rescissions bill, 214 to 212. Where lots of Republicans have concerns about the cuts. Mr. Trump has already threatened Republican senators that he won’t support them in the future.
If the Senate goes along with the bill, the House will need to approve it again. All of this should happen by July 18, or the money will stay.
source: News For Kids