They Offed My Babysitters

Well, they did it, didn’t they?

Not just a threat. Not just squeezed.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is officially being dissolved. Federal funding will end by October, and local stations, (especially teacher‑trusted rural outlets), are bracing for mass layoffs and closures.

So yes, they offed my babysitters. And they did it in broad daylight.

So, let us look at the timeline and how this hit was orchestrated:

Timeline & Facts Breakdown

May 1, 2025 – Executive Order 14290

Trump signs Executive Order 14290, instructing all federal agencies and CPB to cease funding for NPR and PBS outright, citing alleged political bias.

Early June – Rescissions Act Moves

Congress votes on the Rescissions Act of 2025, which includes a $1.1 billion claw‑back from CPB funding over two years.

The House passes it 214–212 on June 12; the Senate follows on July 17; approved again by the House after midnight July 18.

August 1, 2025 – Shutdown Announced

CPB issues formal notice that it will begin winding down operations after over 60 years, citing the final appropriations bill excluding it entirely.
Nearly all staff (~100 employees) are slated for immediate layoff by September 30, with a skeleton crew remaining through January 2026 to manage closure logistics.

What will this mean for the future of Public Broadcasting you ask?

Impact & Aftershocks

• CPB’s annual budget of ~$535 million supported more than 1,500 local stations—many rural outlets relied on CPB for over 25% of revenue.
  
• NPR warns up to 80 stations may shut down entirely within the next year; vital services like emergency alerts, children’s educational shows, and public affairs programming are at risk AP News.
  
• NPR the ACLU and several local stations have filed lawsuits challenging the executive order as unconstitutional retaliation and violation of Congressional authority under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

This friend, is what happens when we let power go unchecked. When we treat every publicly funded thing as suspicious, when we let bullies defund the lifeboats.

You do not have to like NPR or PBS. You do not have to love classical music or British baking or even civil discourse. But you could challenge yourself to understand what it means to dismantle the few remaining public institutions not owned outright by advertisers or oligarchs.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which disperses federal funding to local stations, is one of the last great equalizers in an increasingly stratified media economy. It is a lifeline of isolated rural communities, a quiet educator in homes where no one reads bedtime stories, and a public square where nuance still breathes.

When Trump and his media hit-men came for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, they were not just balancing a budget. They were executing the commons period. The justification? Alleged partisan bias. The real reason? Because they told the truth louder than his sycophants could lie.

Were you one of the lucky ones who had parents who tucked you in and taught you letters? Or were you more like me; poor…rural…feral. I had Sesame Street. I had The Electric Company and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. And when I was older and driving across states to hold my life together, I donated to my local PBS station so that I would be able to have NPR and All Things Considered assuring me I was not alone in my questions, suspicions, or fears.

If you grew up with these voices like I did. If they gave you language, context, and courage then, what to do?
We admit we let them fall without witness.
We let them die in silence.
They raised us.
And now they are dead.
Thanks Obama… (j/k, it was literally Trump.)🙄