Will PBS and NPR be C-U-T?

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On Feb. 11, the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee, the committee that allocates money to different branches of the government, introduced H.R. 1, a resolution to cut $100 Billion in funding for various government agencies. While one version of the bill included a proposal to completely abolish the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the agency that helps fund the NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the final version of the bill that is up for consideration did not include the CPB in its list of 70 proposed tax- funded agencies to delete or cut back.

Many house Republicans have been pushing to cut the CPB’s funding, arguing that canceling the program could save a potential $500 million annually. House Democrats, however, find the idea of cutting costs in public information to be an abomination and are quick to evoke the image of Big Bird (from the PBS program Sesame Street) waiting in the bread line.

Areas losing the most are the Office of Science (-$1.1B), the GSA Federal Buildings Fund (-$1.7B),  the DOE Loan Guarantee Authority (-$1.4B),  Community Health Centers (-$1.3B), and Job Training Programs (-2B).

To find out more about what agencies are facing funding cuts, visit the House Committee of Appropriations website at www. appropriations.house.gov

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