The plans to shut down an editorially independent newspaper for members of the military and their families by the end of this month have come under fire from both Congress and the public, both of whom are calling for action to save Stars and Stripes.

According to The Hill, the Pentagon has ordered the newspaper to stop publishing by Sept. 30 and to fully dissolve the organization by January, after a $705.4 billion fiscal 2021 budget request in February proposed slashing the $15.5 million in federal funding to the publication. At the time, it was stated that the proposal would allow for the money to be reinvested into “higher-priority issues.”

However, with the deadline for the publication looming, calls for it to be saved have been ramped up, with several Democrat and Republic Senators joining together to ask Defense Secretary Mark Esper to reverse the decision because of the impact the paper has on military families.

“We understand that DoD plans to cease publication of Stars and Stripes on September 30, 2020, and completely dissolve the organization by January 32, 2021 as a result of the proposed termination of funding in the fiscal year 2021 President’s budget,” the letter states. “We urge you to take steps to preserve the funding prerogatives of Congress before allowing any such disruption to take place.”

The letter also took issue with the speed that was used to cut the publication’s funding and notes that an appropriations bill for the department that was passed by the House also included additional funding which would allow the publication to continue.

News of the shutdown also took social media by storm, with many blaming President Trump for the move and criticizing the reasons. As a result of the news, as well as reports that the President referred to dead soldiers as “losers,” both #StarsandStripes and #TrumpHatesOurMilitary began to trend.

Stars and Stripes was first published during the Civil War and has served as a place for coverage of military news around the world since. According to the publication, they distribute more than 7 million editions of the US Weekly edition and 4.2 million special publications both in the US and overseas. In addition, they have delivered over half a million digital editions and has served 18.8 million unique visitors on the website as well.

The publication states that “on any given day, readers and visitors number about 1.0 million.”

The move will cut the current US troop level in Germany from about 34,500 to 25,000, President Donald Trump's stated goal (US troops pictured near Grafenwoehr, Germany in 2017)
US troops pictured near Grafenwoehr, Germany in 2017 AFP / Christof STACHE
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