"Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this bill which prohibits federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of federal funds to acquire radio content.
I am incredibly disappointed in my Republican colleagues for this needless attempt to cripple NPR and threaten thousands of jobs in the public broadcasting community.
Without so much as a single hearing on the subject, this bill dissolves a vital public radio system depended upon by millions of Americans across the country. Twenty-seven million Americans listen to NPR each week, and, back home in Wisconsin, nearly 450,000 people listen to Wisconsin Public Radio weekly over three statewide networks. In addition, 2.3 million visitors visited the Wisconsin Public Radio websites in 2010.
Those who listen to Wisconsin Public Radio know how much there is to love. Wisconsin Public Radio provides over nine hours each weekday of interactive radio programming engaging Wisconsin residents and experts from around the world in public policy, culture, arts, and educational discussions.
And because Wisconsin is largely a rural state, our citizens rely on over-the-air broadcasting more than almost any other state. This means that Wisconsin audiences significantly rely on public radio.
"Not only would this horrible bill rushed before us today cripple local radio stations and programming that we enjoy in Wisconsin, it severely harms listeners' access to national shows like 'Morning Edition,' 'All Things Considered,' 'This American Life,' 'A Prairie Home Companion,' and one of my personal favorites, 'Whaddya Know?,' among many, many others.
Mr. Speaker, the Republican majority is clearly not interested in creating jobs or dealing seriously with this deficit. Despite all of the talk, we're here today considering legislation that attacks public radio! I strongly oppose this bill; and I strongly urge of my colleagues to do so, too."
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