WASHINGTON, D.C. — For NPR Member stations, it has been stated repeatedly that nearly all of its operational funds comes from listeners and charitable donations — not from the federal government. Still, dollars distributed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting via a Congressional act are vital to noncommercial educational radio and TV stations, with both NPR and PBS impacted by any Congressional action that could curtail funding.
That’s why the President/CEO of CPB is speaking out against a House of Representatives subcommittee’s funding proposal for fiscal 2024 that strips the corporation of significant dollars.
CPB President/CEO Patricia Harrison spoke out against the arrival on July 14 of a House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-H) Subcommittee’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 funding bill which does not include legislative text for CPB or advance funding for CPB in FY 2026. The bill also does not fund system interconnection and infrastructure for FY 2024, representing a cut of $60 million from current levels.
“Americans in rural and urban communities who depend upon public media content and services are very disappointed by the House Labor-H subcommittee’s move to eliminate CPB’s two-year advance funding,” Harrison said. “The elimination of this nearly 50-year funding structure would destroy the firewall that protects public media’s independence, and significantly weaken the public-private partnership that enables stations to raise needed funds.”
Harrison added that public media has always enjoyed strong bipartisan support, “affirming its essential role in strengthening our nation’s civil society. The federal appropriation ensures universal access to free, high-quality, innovative, and diverse content that educates and enriches the public dialogue.”
Among the subcommittee leaders pushing the proposed legislation forward for a full House Appropriations Committee vote is Rep. Robert Aderolt, who represents Alabama’s fourth district — rural swatches of the northern part of the state that includes such cities as Gadsden, Cullman, Jasper and Florence-Muscle Shoals.
Among Aderolt’s chief issues is the economy, to which he says, “I believe the majority of Alabamians support spending cuts and implementation of a framework to require Washington to live within its means from here on out. We need to protect taxpayers, ensure our seniors and veterans receive the benefits they rightfully deserve, and change the ‘spend now, pay later’ culture of Washington.”
He also believes “we fail to stop the government from intruding upon the church and those who exercise their religious freedom,” and steadfast in his support of the Second Amendment as it pertains to gun ownership in the U.S.
In his statement delivered Friday, Aderolt admitted, “I don’t pretend this is a perfect bill, no bill in Congress is ever a perfect bill.” But, he quickly added, “We live in difficult times, our nation remains mired in high inflation, which has only been worsened by the massive infusion of government spending, both during and immediately after the COVID pandemic.
“As it has been said numerous times – inflation is a tax on every single American,” Aderolt continued. “Moreover, it is a tax borne disproportionately on the low-income. We cannot continue to make our constituents pay for our reckless DC Beltway spending. At some point, we must stop the out-of-control spending spree that we have seen and experienced in this nation. This bill represents a clear first step toward returning to fiscal responsibility, while ensuring that funding for critical and high-priority functions are maintained.”
The full House Appropriations Committee is chaired by Kay Granger.
Aderolt in the 117th Congress had 0 out of 9 votes match ACLU positions.
