‘Hands Off PBS Kids' Group, Cat in the Hat Deliver Petitions on Capitol Hill

Children, parents and the Cat in the Hat headed to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to urge lawmakers to support public television.

Advocates for PBS Kids say they gathered more than 660,000 signatures on petitions urging lawmakers to reject President Donald Trump's proposal to eliminate funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which partially funds the TV station.

The Washington director of MoveOn.org, Ben Wikler, said he wanted his 2-year-old and 5-year-old children to be able to watch PBS.

"We want to save PBS Kids so our kids can see the same great, kid-friendly programming that we enjoyed for kids," he said. "This is the kind of stuff you want your kids to grow up with. It's positive, it's educational, it's fun, and it helps make us better citizens."

Trump's budget blueprint, released Thursday, would cut funding to CPB and many domestic programs in favor of financing a significant increase in the military.

PBS president Paula Kerger issued a statement describing support for PBS from voters of all stripes.

"PBS and our nearly 350 member stations, along with our viewers, continue to remind Congress of our strong support among Republican and Democratic voters, in rural and urban areas across every region of the country," she said in a statement.

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