Prohibiting Federal Funding of National Public Radio
Floor Speech
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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1076, which prohibits federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and radio content acquisition.
According to a preliminary estimate from Congressional Budget Office, this bill will produce no savings for the taxpayers and will not reduce the deficit. This is an ideologically driven piece of legislation that does nothing to reduce our deficit.
Each week, 27.2 million Americans nationwide turn to NPR to find the kind of news, music programs, and interesting entertainment they can't get elsewhere. NPR offers quality in-depth reporting, insightful commentary, and an on-air forum that allows a wide range of voices to be heard. With political rhetoric and ideological name-calling filling cable news programs, NPR's news coverage has become an essential source for people looking for the facts. This is why 8 out of 10 voters oppose cutting federal funding for public broadcasting.
In my district, Hawaii Public Radio (HPR) engages its island listeners through countless events statewide. These include the Hawaii Book and Musical Festival as well as a series of pre-performance lectures at the Hawaii Opera Theatre. HPR also embraces Native Hawaiian culture with its daily Hawaiian language newsbreak and the ``Hawaiian Word of the Day'' feature.
With the program Aloha Shorts, HPR promotes local poets and actors. HPR has even given our children an opportunity to be heard by a national audience having young musicians featured in the sold out From the Top performances, which received national broadcast. With over 400 volunteers and audiences on all islands, HPR shares the diversity of Hawaii with communities across the country.
Hawaii Public Radio is not just a radio station--it's an essential part of our island community and deserves federal support.
I urge my colleagues to recognize the importance of NPR in people's daily lives and vote against this bill.
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