The phrase “What did Donald Trump do now?” has become a common household topic around the country and this week will be no different. Trump recently released his budget plan for 2019, and of course, there’s a sea of red flags within it. So, it’s quite clear with this new bill that he’d rather parade his masculinity through higher budgets for militia and defense instead of facing real problems like the decline of education and informed media. His victims this time: NPR, PBS and our sanity.
Studies show that most people believe the public media gets more federal funding than it does. In all reality, it receives very limited subsidy compared to all other government funded programs. People depend on PBS and NPR for keeping them in tune with the world around us: with NPR gaining up to 99 million listeners and PBS with nearly 200 million viewers. For children 18 and younger, PBS, mainly their sub-branch children’s program PBS KIDS, is shown to be the most educational media brand. 64 percent of children, ages 2-8, watched PBS this past year and it’s shown to improve math achievement for children to help prepare them for school. Programs like that also display our arts and culture to a vast audience that most of the time can’t afford these amenities. Our arts and culture are what defines us and to strip it away is violation of our basic rights. And he wants to defund a fundamental educational step for low-income families and children. How is that fair?
According to the new proposal released by Trump, his biggest victims are the funds for Environmental Protection and Small Business Administration. If gone through, they’d lose nearly a quarter of their funding within the next year. By executing a $2.5 billion cut from the EPA, this eliminates dozens of programs during a critical time for climate change. With an already small budget for small businesses, they intend on hurting the small business economic life even more.
Media and government spending all in one? The President’s worst nightmare, but the public’s saving grace. Guess which took priority to Trump? Oh, but no need to fear too much. While our education and agriculture departments are taking a hit, our homeland security, defense and military sanctions are getting a higher budget. Great, right? Not really, no. It’s appalling because who is he to demand and dictate what we can or can’t see (PBS, NPR) because it somewhat skews your already tainted image? To deny us the bare right for the unsolicited truth because Trump thinks we need to strap on millions of dollars to an industry that’s already caused more harm than needed?
This new budget, if it comes to fruition, once again, screws over everyone but the 1 percent by attacking businesses, student loans, food stamps program and you name it. While this stands more so as a glorified wish list currently, let’s hope the rest of the House of Representatives isn’t in on this masculinity contest.
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