Celebrities took to Twitter Thursday to bemoan President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, which, among other items, eliminates the budgets for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
While the stars’ criticism focused on the broad nature of the proposed budget cuts, including deep cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency, the bulk of the criticism appeared to center on the elimination of the arts budgets, which fund public media including PBS and NPR.
Some, including Billy on the Street host Billy Eichner and The Wire creator David Simon, lamented that the elimination of the NEA would cut funding to Sesame Street, though the long-running kids television program was picked up by HBO last year.
Trump cutting funding to SESAME STREET but Melania has all the taxpayer money she needs to stay in her penthouse in NYC. #JusticeForBigBird
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 16, 2017
Yes, every morning, single mothers will wake up and thank god that their 50 cents a year for Big Bird can now go to an F-35. https://t.co/hPN12pBoWv
— David Simon (@AoDespair) March 16, 2017
Other celebrities branded the proposed budget cuts “revolting” and “outrageous.”
Below is a sample of celebrity reaction to the budget proposal on social media Thursday.
Ignorant, unskilled, sick, hungry, cruel and violent—what Trump's budget would do for America https://t.co/emMP7KLNYb
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) March 16, 2017
After all the wars are fought what remains are people, art, nature and culture. Trump can try but he cannot cut us out of the picture.
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) March 16, 2017
Without the arts in America all we have is… Trump. https://t.co/EHEtlZ05r8
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) March 16, 2017
Outrageous! Proposed cuts also hurts our public schools in addition to many our important issues. Yet #Trump says he's for the "people". https://t.co/VupIFj8Okh
— Rosie Perez (@rosieperezbklyn) March 16, 2017
Save @PBSKIDS @PBS! The only shows my kid is allowed to watch! She knows more about dinosaurs than anyone I know! Disgraceful WH!
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) March 16, 2017
👑🚽Wants 2Cut Programs That’ll
Mean Life &Death 2Some Of Our Most Vulnerable 🇺🇸‘ns BUT IS HAPPY GIVING 💯‘S Of MILLIONS IN TAX BREAKS 4 CEO’s— Cher (@cher) March 16, 2017
It seems insane to have to defend the arts but here we are. The #RighttoBearArts is what makes us great. Without science & arts who are we
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 16, 2017
This picture represents why a healthy budget is so important to the filmmaking process. #crosswalk #beautyandthebeast @latelateshow pic.twitter.com/hoM8XYv9Ml
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 16, 2017
Trump is proposing totally cutting funding for everything on below list. Is this making America great again? https://t.co/ZG9Uh9rCLQ
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 16, 2017
Trump's budget cuts 3200 EPA workers but adds 1500 ICE agents. America will be getting dirtier and nastier in many ways. Blue States: RESIST
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) March 16, 2017
Maybe we should ask single moms if they'd rather have educational television programming or more nukes. https://t.co/2i7oiCHBB8
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) March 16, 2017
This is inhumane and Un-American. https://t.co/7HVjvAYbzy
— Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush) March 16, 2017
Proposed Trump #SkinnyBudget eliminates @NEAarts. Tell your representative we need to #SAVEtheNEA. More here: https://t.co/oFscNGDM6v
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) March 16, 2017
Thanks to Trump & Ryan's #Wealthcare, I'm getting a big tax break. I think I'll donate it to PBS. #SavetheNEA
— Carrie Coon (@carriecoon) March 16, 2017
Comedian and longtime Trump nemesis Rosie O’Donnell also tweeted Thursday afternoon, though it wasn’t immediately clear if the tweet was related to the president’s budget proposal.
— ROSIE (@Rosie) March 16, 2017
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.