Part 3/11:
Compounding these financial challenges is a decrease in government and private grants. Trump-era budget cuts, especially targeting organizations like NPR and PBS, have played a part in reducing public funding for Sesame Street. The Trump administration's emphasis on trimming the federal budget included targeting grants that supported Sesame Street’s outreach programs, including a controversial $20 million grant from USAD directed toward adapting content for children in Iraq. Critics question the necessity of such expenditures and the political motives behind cuts to longstanding cultural institutions.