Round Up: “So, What Are You Doing This Summer?”
“So, What Are You Doing This Summer?”
June 17, 2025
While at the dentist last Friday, my longtime favorite hygienist made small talk with me. I know it’s a human inclination to engage, but it’s not easy to respond when I have a suction straw hanging off the corner of my mouth and they are scraping plaque off my molars.
“Do you have any big plans for this summer?” she asked, while I tried not to swallow my own tooth grime and keep my tongue out of the way.
After she rinsed my fangs and pulled the suction device out of my mouth, I answered. Mind you, H.R.4 – Rescissions Act of 2025 (which would claw back funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, among other cuts) had just narrowly passed the House and was sent over to the Senate. I watched much of the debate last Thursday on C- SPAN. I even watched the vote. There were a few Republicans that had voted against it, but (according to the New York Times) changed their votes to yes when they were promised that public media funding would not be cut. They did not allow any amendments in the House. The vote was 214 to 212.
I was feeling pretty defeated last week knowing that the Senate only needs 50 votes for H.R.4 to be passed, but they do allow amendments and some Senators, like Lisa Murkowski (R) from Alaska, don’t want to see public media defunded. I wrote to her on Monday.
“No big plans,” I replied to the hygienist, “but I might be trying to figure out how to run KWMR without the 26% of my budget that could be clawed back by the federal government.”
H.R.4 has not yet been taken up by the Senate, and there are concerns by some of the Republican Senators about not just public media funding, but other provisions in the House Bill.
I hope there are practical Republicans that will vote against this. If they can’t get it to a vote within 45 days, the administration will be legally obligated to allow the two years of funding already allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to be spent. This is a great article that breaks it down.
I am aware that public media funding has been on the chopping block before, and this Rescission Act of 2025 is not the only way to cut it.
My appointment was pretty quick since I take good care of my teeth. My hygienist recommended that I take up using a Water Pik and try some more natural floss that is PFAS free (not a bad idea). She gave me a new toothbrush and sent me off to my next OTH errand.
I am all for spending wisely. Anyone who runs a nonprofit organization knows all too well that careless spending and running huge deficits is not responsible, nor does it bode well for an organization’s future.
News headlines lately have been full of unrest and tragedy. It’s a lot. Thank you for reading this and caring about community radio. I also recommend daily brushing and flossing as well as regularly scheduled dental hygiene visits.
Follow the issue and become an advocate at Protectmypublicmedia.org.
Amanda Eichstaedt
Station Manager and Executive Director