The highly effective phrases of the late Fred Rogers have gone viral following the Senate’s vote in favor of a invoice that may reduce federal funding to public broadcast networks PBS and NPR.
On Wednesday (July 16), Senate Republicans received an in depth 51-48 vote to move the laws, which is able to see President Donald Trump and his administration reclaim $9 billion that Congress had beforehand accepted for international help and public broadcasting. Trump, who has lengthy argued that PBS and NPR are “biased,” now must signal the invoice into legislation for it to go forward.
Following the information, a speech from the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood, testifying earlier than Congress in 1969, was shared on social media and rapidly went viral. Rogers spoke to Congress as President Richard Nixon proposed a plan to chop funding for public broadcasting from $20 million to $10 million.
The beloved youngsters’s tv host spoke passionately in regards to the significance of public broadcasting, particularly its academic programming for youths.
Because the Senate prepares to vote on federal funding cuts for PBS and NPR, let’s bear in mind Mr. Rogers’ phrases on the significance of public broadcasting. pic.twitter.com/I6xihDyVEA
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) July 16, 2025
“We take care of things like the interior drama of childhood,” Rogers stated. “We take care of things like getting a haircut, or the sentiments about brothers and sisters, the sort of anger that arises in easy household conditions. And we take care of it constructively.”
When a senator requested him to develop, Rogers defined, “I finish this system day-after-day by saying, ‘You’ve made today a special occasion, by simply your being you. There’s no particular person in the entire world such as you. And I such as you, simply the way in which you’re.’ If we in public tv could make it clear that emotions are mentionable and manageable, we’ll have performed an important service for psychological well being.”
The senator agreed, responding, “I feel that’s fantastic. Appears to be like such as you simply bought your $20 million.”
As for what’s subsequent, PBS CEO Paula Kerger stated in a press release on Thursday (July 17) that the community will likely be “compelled to make laborious selections within the weeks and months forward.”
NPR additionally launched a press release, saying, “Tonight, our community’s service to the nation suffered an incredible setback. Collectively — and with help from listeners and readers in communities across the nation — we are going to work to rebuild.”
Whereas taxpayer cash accounts for less than a portion of PBS and NPR’s funding, the cuts are nonetheless anticipated to have a major affect, notably in rural areas. It is because stations in small communities are inclined to rely extra closely on federal funding, whereas these in bigger markets have numerous exterior sources of earnings.
“These cuts will considerably affect all of our stations, however will likely be particularly devastating to smaller stations and people serving giant rural areas,” Kerger added.