Thomas the Explorer

BREAKING: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce just rescued a childhood reading program after Republicans defunded it

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce quietly donated $26 million to more than 20 charities across the country this week, and one gift stands out above the rest.

The couple gave $2 million to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the beloved program that mails a free book every month to children under five. The donation comes just weeks after Republican lawmakers in Missouri slashed the program's funding from $6 million to $2 million, forcing it to freeze enrollment and shut out new kids starting July 1. More than 170,000 Missouri children were signed up when politicians pulled the plug.

Dolly Parton herself responded in a video message, telling the couple she was "blown away and overjoyed" by their generosity.

The rest of the donations tell the same story. Nine food banks received gifts, including $1 million to City Harvest in New York, which said the support comes at a critical time as soup kitchen visits near record highs "in response to federal funding cuts." Three children's hospitals, seven educational programs, and the ASPCA also received donations, according to reporting from Variety.

While politicians in Washington and state capitols keep cutting programs that feed hungry families and put books in kids' hands, two of the most famous people in America stepped up and filled the gap days before their own wedding.