WASHINGTON – March 18, 2019 – America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) president and CEO Patrick Butler issued the following statement on President Trump’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget released today:
“America’s Public Television Stations are disappointed that President Trump’s FY 2020 budget proposal once again recommends elimination of federal funding for public media.
“We will continue to make our case with the Administration that public television plays a vital role in American education, public safety and civic leadership, in hundreds of communities across the country. We provide the only preschool education for more than half of America’s children, we are the backbone of public safety communications networks at the local, State and national levels, and we do more to equip America’s citizens to do the hard work of democracy than anyone else.
“Fortunately, Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate understand these contributions -- and our impressive return on the federal investment, which amounts to one-hundredth of one percent of the federal budget -- very well. We are grateful that Congress approved full funding for public broadcasting in FY 2019, and we are hopeful that Congress will increase funding for public media in the FY 2020 appropriations cycle and beyond.
“We live in hope that the Administration will ultimately appreciate that federal funding is essential to local public television stations’ ability to pursue their critical public service missions of education, public safety and civic leadership, and to provide these services to everyone, everywhere, every day, for free.”
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About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org