Ed Markey Lambasts Trump Over His ‘Attacks On Public Media’: ‘It Serves The Public’

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During a Senate Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) discussed President Trump's cuts to public media.

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00:00I would mention if the NBA could somehow reduce Steph Curry's shooting percentage.

00:06That would really help for my Rockets, who went through a very painful series.

00:13And I'd also like to check to see if Mr. Curry is, in fact, a space alien.

00:18And with that, I recognize Senator Markey.

00:22That shooting did ruin this year's bet between the Chairman and Senator from Massachusetts.

00:28I won last year's bet on the Dallas Celtics series.

00:34And I was hoping, actually, that Steph Curry's shooting percentage should go down.

00:41And by the way, that the Celtics' shooting percentage should go up a little bit from last night and three-pointers.

00:46And I think that will occur.

00:48So we thank you all for being here.

00:52As an avid sports fan, I know the frustration of having to keep up and pay for numerous apps

00:58to watch your favorite team.

01:00But today, I want to address a related but urgent threat to public access to media more broadly.

01:05Last week, President Trump unleashed a series of attacks on public media and the Corporation

01:11for Public Broadcasting, including an executive order that attempted to force the Corporation

01:16for Public Broadcasting to cease funding for PBS and NPR.

01:22He also proposed to end all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in his 2026 budget

01:29request.

01:30Eliminating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would devastate hundreds of local public media

01:36stations that rely on CPB to serve their communities, especially in rural and low-income areas.

01:43From author to PBS NewsHour, from tornado alerts to rural states to local debates in city halls,

01:50public media has always been there, not because it turns a profit, but because it serves the public.

01:58These stations connect our country from rural towns to urban centers and provide news and culture

02:04and children's programming without commercial influence.

02:08Cutting off CPB funding won't hurt elites in Washington.

02:12It will hurt children in underserved classrooms who rely on PBS kids.

02:17PBS is the children's television network from 6 a.m. in the morning.

02:21And children for generations of all races, all incomes have relied upon the public broadcasting system

02:28to provide that information.

02:29It will hurt seniors in rural communities who trust their local public radio stations for news and weather

02:35and emergency information.

02:36It will hurt the civic fabric of this nation at a time when polarization and division are already

02:42corroding our shared sense of truth.

02:46Mr. Bergmaier, do you agree that public media plays a vital role in ensuring all Americans,

02:52regardless of income or geography or race, have access to trustworthy information?

02:58I do, Senator, and I believe it's especially important in rural areas throughout the country.

03:04Do you agree that public media plays an important role in ensuring that children of all ages and

03:10backgrounds have access to educational and enriching programming, which has served generations of American children?

03:19Yes, I do.

03:20And as a parent, my kids loved PBS programming.

03:23I think non-commercial children's programming is very important.

03:26Mr. Bergmaier, do you agree that public broadcasts play a central role in communicating emergency information

03:32during extreme weather or any other emergency?

03:35Yes, I do.

03:36Mr. Bergmaier, do you agree that public broadcasts play a central role in communicating emergency information

03:39during extreme weather or any other emergency?

03:40Yes, I do.

03:41So thank you for that.

03:42We're going to have a major debate here in the Congress over the role of the public broadcasting

03:45system, NPR, and PBS, and all of those local stations.

03:49This is a debate we're going to have, and I just think it's very important that everyone understand

03:56that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting represents a promise that every American,

04:03no matter their income or their background or their zip code, deserves access to free, absolutely free education,

04:12culture, local reporting, and trusted information.

04:17We must reject this attempt to silence the truth and instead recommit to the public interest,

04:23the local storytelling, and to the democratic values that public broadcasting has upheld for our generations.

04:29And we must protect the children, especially the poorest children in our society,

04:34who may not have access to all of the apps that we've been hearing today,

04:39but do have access for free to the public broadcasting of their local communities.

04:46The American people are not asking us to defund Big Bird.

04:51They are asking us to defend Big Bird and all that it represents in our society's history.

04:58So I thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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