Prohibiting Federal Funding of National Public Radio

Floor Speech

* Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against efforts to cut federal funding for public broadcasting.

* Republicans already tried to kill Big Bird in H.R. 1, but since the American People won't let Big Bird die, here we go again.

* This time, NPR has been singled out as their target.

* H.R. 1076 is a reckless bill that would defend NPR and prohibit public radio stations from using federal funds to acquire any radio programming from any source.

* It would endanger 9,000 jobs at local public radio stations in communities across the country.

* It would cripple stations like WOJB-FM, a community radio in Hayward, Wisconsin that uses CPB money for about 40% of its budget.

* Without good quality national programs, local stations would lose their ability to attract the audience that they need to develop local used for local/regional news.

* Why is Public Broadcasting a worthy national interest?

* Demand for quality national and international news has never been higher, and the American people are best served when they are informed with current events.

* At the same time, commercial news rooms are shrinking, reporting staff is downsizing, and even the size of newspapers are fractions of what they used to be.

* Then you look at how the listening base for public radio has actually increased. You simply cannot argue that NPR is irrelevant when it draws in 34 million listeners a week.

* It's still in the public interest to support the arts and education.

* More than 2/3rds of voters oppose the elimination of public broadcasting, and the American people are smart enough to know how this bill is nothing but a piecemeal attack towards a larger agenda.

* I would suggest to my Republican colleagues that we focus on creating jobs, and not on cutting quality news and education to millions of Americans.

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