Reba McEntire Begs Fans To Help Save PBS From $1.1 Billion In Potential Federal Budget Cuts

Reba McEntire doing what she can to help save PBS.

The living country music legend doesn’t often endorse… anything really. Reba has never had an interest in talking politics, and she’s even gone as far to say that it’s “not her job” to do so. But with the potential future of PBS hanging in balance, McEntire decided to speak out in the form of a video posted onto social media.

Soon, the Senate will vote on a big budget bill that could very well cut the funding of PBS. Some Americans might see that as a good thing, while others – like Reba – see public broadcasting and specifically PBS as an institution that should be protected and financially supported.

The House of Representatives already approved the rescissions package back in June, which means it now goes to the Senate for a vote. If the budget bill were to pass, over $1 billion in funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be cut. In other words, the money that has helped keep PBS plugging along all these years would suddenly be more.

Reba, who has partnered with PBS for TV specials across four decades, was made aware of the possible cut in funding and responded with this message supporting the Public Broadcasting Service and calling those who also value public broadcasting into action:

“Hey, it’s Reba. From my appearances on Austin City Limits in 1987, to South Pacific in Concert from Carnegie Hall in 2006, I’ve had a long relationship with PBS. Now, PBS needs our help. In just a few short days, the Senate is going to vote on a bill that would remove federal funding from PBS. 

PBS has done so much for us, from children’s education to teaching us about science, the Earth, and the stars. To the most near to my heart, the incredible arts programming that brings the power of live performance into our homes. If you believe in PBS like I do, check out ProtectMyPublicMedia.org to find out how you can help. Let’s help keep PBS keep delivering the incredible programming that we all love so much.”

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To be honest with you, I had a hard time focusing there because of the ill-placed teleprompter. Regardless, Reba McEntire got her point across… and she rarely ever puts her foot down on anything even remotely political. This is more of a “Save PBS” message, but considering the circumstances, it has been politicized a bit.

And it’s been interesting to see the mix of comments underneath the post. To be clear, there were more people that supported Reba’s pro-PBS message. Many thanked Reba for speaking up about this issue, and others commended the country artist for showing her support.

On the flip side, there were a number of people saying that the federal budget cut would be helpful, and that PBS should find another way to be funded. Others claimed that PBS has been “taking advantage of tax dollars for years,” and didn’t need a celebrity like Reba McEntire rushing in to try and defend and/or save it.

In Reba’s defense though, we might not have video of her 1987 Austin City Limits performance if it weren’t for PBS:

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