White House calls NPR and PBS a "grift," will ask Congress to rescind funding

[rbanffy]

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/04/white-house-aims-to-defund-npr-and-pbs-in-move-slammed-as-cultural-sabotage/

[duxup]

PBS is a national treasure.

The only video streaming service I trusted my kids to just watch without supervision was PBS kids video.

I can only hope that soon the laser chickens escape and save us from this mess of a government.

[tencentshill]

Why would they bother asking Congress? Usually it's just one executive order away from becoming a quick Win.

[duxup → tencentshill]

Congress is in the midst of a break but with budget talks ongoing among the GOP. They're busy trying to pass vague bills, one from the senate, one from the house that so far have been incompatible even as far as just the GOP is concerned.

I suspect this might be a sort of silly proposed rallying point for them to agree on and maybe move forward ... and they might think this provides some level of credibility to the executive branch who has been busy cutting unilaterally, arguably unconstitutionally.

[bediger4000 → tencentshill]

Could be a way to touch the snake with your enemy's hand, provide a little plausible deniability for a gratuitous and unpopular action.

[ahazred8ta → bediger4000]

"Use your enemy's hand to catch a snake." -- Persian proverb, TIL