Rep. Wasserman Schultz Opposes 25 Percent Cut in Corporation for Public Broadcasting Funding
Rep. Wasserman Schultz Opposes 25 Percent Cut in Corporation for Public Broadcasting Funding
Today, Rep. Wasserman Schultz announced her strong opposition to a provision in the FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill coming to the House Floor this week that cuts FY 2006 funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by 25 percent - cutting the appropriation from $400 million to $300 million.
"Public broadcasting is a treasure valued by millions of South Floridians," Rep. Wasserman Schultz said. "For millions of parents in Florida and throughout the country, public broadcasting represents a children's television network of unparalleled excellence and value. At a cost of just over $1 per year per person what parents and children get from free over-the-air public television and public radio is an incredible bargain."
The provision in the bill would cut $100 million in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, upon which it heavily relies. The Association of Public Television Stations has stated that these cuts are "so drastic that they will severely impact every public television and radio station's ability to provide educational, cultural and informational programming in local communities and throughout the nation."
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is the U.S.-taxpayer-funded agency that provides critical dollars to public broadcasting across the country. According to the nonpartisan Roper polling firm, Americans consider the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) the nation's "most trusted" among nationally-known organizations. They also believe that PBS is the second "most valuable" service taxpayers receive, outranked only by national defense. The same poll also found that a majority of Americans believes the system receives too little funding.
"As this destructive bill moves forward, I will fight to have this damaging cut in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting restored," stated Rep. Wasserman Schultz.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/fl20_schultz/CPBcuts.html