House subcommittee approves massive cuts for public broadcasting

Friday, June 10, 2005

A House subcommittee voted Thursday to sharply reduce the federal government’s financial spending, including eliminating taxpayer funds that help produce such shows as Sesame Street and Arthur.

In addition, the subcomittee also acted to eliminate federal money for the Corporation for Public Broadasting, a body designed to pass funds onto public broadcasters; starting with a 25 percent reduction next year, from $400 million to $300 million.

Overall, the cuts would signal the most dramatic cutback of public broadcasting the Congress created the CPB in 1967.