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u.s. congress
Defunding Public Media Makes Perfect Sense If Destroying Democracy Is the Goal
The Trump purge of federal spending is about stripping our democratic system of all accountability mechanisms—including the sorts of journalism that hold our country’s rich and powerful accountable—and replacing it with propaganda.
Jul 18, 2025
U.S. Congress’ decision early Friday morning to completely defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a blow to anyone who cares about the role the media must play to sustain the health of a democracy. The move follows a request by President Donald Trump to claw back more than $1 billion lawmakers had already allocated to the entity, which supports National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service stations across the country.
Zeroing out federal funding for public media has been a dream of Republicans since the Nixon administration. But it’s one that, until now, never came true. Past efforts ran up against a noisy public—including people of every political persuasion—who believe federal funding for public media is taxpayer money well spent.
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The GOP’s Big Budget Bill Will Only Make the Healthcare Affordability Crisis Worse
Most Americans believe the government has a responsibility to provide healthcare and lower its cost. President Trump and Congress have just done the opposite.
Jul 18, 2025
Among the universal truths in our country today is this: Healthcare is too expensive. It’s difficult to find the right doctor for your needs. And even if you have health insurance and can get the care you need, you might come home one day to find a massive medical bill in your mailbox. You’d be hard-pressed to find a summer barbecue in America where someone isn’t sharing a story about their own struggle to afford and navigate our healthcare system.
That’s because our nation’s affordability crisis affects everyone: patients, families, workers, small businesses, large employers, and governments at every level. It’s become a drag on our economy, a strain on public budgets, and a source of instability for millions of American households. People are working harder than ever, paying more than ever, and still going without the care they need. Employers can’t keep up with premium increases. Taxpayers are paying more and getting less. And the federal government is spending more on healthcare than any other nation, with worse outcomes.
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Act Now to Defend Public Media
In the U.S., public broadcasting plays a unique role in our media diets as free, reliable, and trusted information. If it goes, we won’t get it back.
Jul 17, 2025
Our public radio and TV stations are in grave peril, and with them the unique services they perform for our communities.
By the end of day Friday July 18, we’ll know if Congress has clawed back the money it already gave to public broadcasting, through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB. (The House will decide; this is your moment to call your representatives to ask them to support their public radio and TV stations, and to join—for free—Protectmypublicmedia.org.) Even if that money stays protected, though, public radio and TV will continue to be attacked.
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