Funding for PBS children's shows killed by Trump administration citing 'woke propaganda'

As the Trump administration continues to effort to defund NPR and PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting said this week that the Department of Education has ended a national assistance that helped money children's shows.

In a press merchandise connected May 6, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting said the canceled assistance was called Ready To Learn. The cutting volition effect successful a nonaccomplishment of $23 cardinal that the CPB said would person gone to children's games and acquisition shows.

"Nearly each genitor has raised their kids connected nationalist broadcasting’s children’s content. For the past 30 years, Ready To Learn-funded PBS KIDS contented has produced measurable, real-world impacts connected children’s learning," Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB, said successful the property release. "Ready To Learn has received beardown bipartisan enactment from Congress for the past 30 years due to the fact that of the programs’ proven acquisition worth successful advancing aboriginal learning skills for each children. We volition enactment with Congress and the Administration to sphere backing for this indispensable program."

The 2020-2025 cycle, which expires Sept. 30, was approved by the archetypal Trump administration.

Programs funded by the Ready To Learn Grant person included the iconic shows "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow" and "Clifford the Big Red Dog." Now, fashionable shows similar "Molly of Denali," "Work It Out Wombats!" and "Lyla successful the Loop" are being funded by the grant, the CPB said.

In a connection sent to USA TODAY, Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said the cuts were to backing "racial justness acquisition programming."

"This is not aligned with Administration priorities. The Trump Department of Education volition prioritize backing that supports meaningful learning and improving pupil outcomes, not divisive ideologies and woke propaganda," Biedermann said.

PBS Kids: 'We volition proceed to fight'

Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PBS KIDS, said successful a connection to USA TODAY they would proceed to combat to support providing shows for children successful the U.S.

"This determination removes a captious assets nationalist tv has utilized to alteration america to make high-quality, acquisition PBS KIDS contented portion opening up worlds of possibilities for millions of kids crossed the country. We volition proceed to combat successful bid to support our indispensable service," DeWitt said.

Cuts to PBS, NPR an ongoing fight

The cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting travel arsenic the Trump medication continues to effort and defund PBS and NPR.

Trump signed an enforcement order instructing the CPB to "cease nonstop funding" to NPR and PBS, according to the text released by the White House connected May 1. It labeled the quality outlets arsenic partisan and biased.

"The CPB Board shall cancel existing nonstop backing to the maximum grade allowed by instrumentality and shall diminution to supply aboriginal funding," the bid added.

Both NPR and PBS person antecedently said that Trump's effort to chopped their backing would disrupt indispensable media services and person a "devastating impact" connected Americans who trust connected them for credible section and nationalist news, including during emergencies.

Contributing: Reuters

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is simply a trending quality newsman for USA TODAY. Reach him astatine fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and travel him connected X @fern_cerv_.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Trump medication kills backing for PBS children's shows