[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 26 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT 2011

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                               speech of

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 16, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other 
     departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes.

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak in strong support of Mr. 
Blumenauer's amendment to restore funding to the Corporation for Public 
Broadcasting.
  The Republican move to gut funding for public broadcasting in this 
Omnibus spending bill is an incredibly bad idea.
  Millions of Americans rely on public broadcasting for their news, 
entertainment, and local programming.
  Public broadcasting provides programs and services that inform, 
enlighten, and enrich our society.
  And in a world enlightened by all too often ill-informed and 
sensationalist cable ``news'' shows, public broadcasting provides 
thoughtful, even handed analysis of the issues of the day.
  Simply put, public broadcasting helps educate our society and 
celebrates the arts, education, respectful debate and civil discourse.
  The CPB enables nearly 1,300 public radio and television stations--
like KCBX, KCLU, and KOCE, in my district--to stay on the air and 
broadcast quality, commercial-free news and educational programming.
  These stations reach 260 million Americans in every corner of this 
country--bringing ``All Things Considered'' and ``Car Talk'' into our 
cars and Sesame Street, Frontline, the Newshour and NOVA into our 
living rooms.
  I know that my district is a far richer place because of these 
important public broadcasting outlets.
  The CPB also promotes public-private partnerships.
  And as we look for ways to reduce our spending, we ought to look to 
agencies and programs that have the most bang for the buck.
  By providing essential foundational money, the CPB enables public 
stations to leverage funds to raise the additional resources they need 
to fully cover operating costs.
  Ending CPB funding would undeniably punish these successful 
partnerships.
  Finally, the public radio and TV stations supported by CPB are 
locally owned and consistently broadcast content important to their 
communities.
  In rural areas, these stations are frequently the only source of free 
local, national, and international news.
  Public broadcasting is often a lifeline for Americans in times of 
natural disasters, providing up-to-date information on evacuation 
routes and evacuation center locations.
  CPB funds are vital to the success of public broadcasting.
  You know, some years ago Newt Gingrich went after Big Bird and the 
results weren't pretty.
  The American people made it clear that they like their local NPR 
stations and other public broadcasters.
  They believed that supporting public broadcasting was a worthwhile 
use of their tax dollars.
  I don't think that sentiment has changed.
  I urge my colleagues to restore funding to the CPB by supporting Mr. 
Blumenauer's commonsense amendment.

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