[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2620-H2621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RESCISSIONS PACKAGE: CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING

  (Ms. Bonamici of Oregon was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn the House GOP's 
rescission request that would take back $9.4 billion in Federal funding 
Congress appropriated for foreign aid, the State Department, and public 
media.
  We know how devastating the loss of this funding would be for people 
around the globe. Ending these investments will undoubtedly cost lives 
and diminish our standing in the world.
  Taking back the almost $1.1 billion in funding that Congress 
appropriated for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is ludicrous.
  The Trump administration says they are cutting public broadcasting 
because it is partisan and biased.
  What is the basis for that claim?
  Maybe it is because the shows on PBS, like the very popular ``Daniel 
Tiger's Neighborhood,'' teach children the importance of kindness, 
respect, empathy, and caring for others. These are all traits that are 
absent from this current administration.
  The only partisan bias is from this administration itself as they 
seek to weaponize public broadcasting, which offers many benefits to 
everyone, including: alerting the public and sharing information about 
emergencies in times of crisis; teaching children reading and social 
and emotional development skills; and reaching areas that lack reliable 
and affordable access to broadband internet, particularly in rural 
areas.
  The loss of PBS KIDS in particular would deprive millions of children 
and families of formative learning experiences from programs that are 
designed specifically for kids, not just ``Daniel Tiger's 
Neighborhood,'' but also ``Arthur,'' ``Sid the Science Kid,'' and much 
more.
  The Trump administration claims to be pro-family, but this request to 
rescind the funding is yet another antifamily example from this 
administration.
  Further, the $1.1 billion cost for the Corporation for Public 
Broadcasting represents 0.0001 percent of the entire Federal budget. 
PBS reaches every congressional district across the country and costs a 
mere $1.60 per person each year.
  What else provides so much value for less than $2 per person?
  The Trump administration is cutting pennies of valuable programming 
out of spite. Most Americans trust PBS because it is publicly funded. 
Just like public broadcasting should be objective, so should the 
funding decisions about it.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this rescission package.

                              {time}  1015


                  IRA Clean Energy Incentives Defense

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, in their big, ugly bill, Republicans are 
once again trying to rip away clean energy tax credits, one of the most 
effective job-creating tools we ever had.
  Thousands of workers, many in rural and coastal counties in my home 
State of Oregon, but also across the country, will lose the jobs they 
just started. Jobs in solar, wind, battery storage, clean 
manufacturing, those are jobs with good wages and benefits that are 
supporting their families.
  Ripping away these credits means that instead of finishing 
construction on clean power plants, Republicans will abandon billions 
in sunk costs, leave half-built equipment, and electricity bills will 
go up. Utility companies are expecting major rate hikes if these 
credits vanish because, without them,

[[Page H2621]]

they will be forced to rely on more expensive, unstable, and dirty 
fossil fuels.
  Local economies will be devastated by shuttered worksites, canceled 
investments, and families will be uprooted.
  Imagine if we could generate our own power right here in America with 
the safest, most advanced technologies in the world. Now consider that 
we can deploy cheap, clean energy, but the Republicans won't let us. 
Are they afraid of offending big oil companies?
  These credits are working. They sparked more than $300 billion in 
private sector investment. They have launched a manufacturing comeback 
in communities that have waited decades for it.
  Repealing them, that would be economic self-sabotage. Here is the 
thing: Republicans are pushing this repeal, and they are also backing 
Donald Trump's declaration of a so-called energy emergency. If we are 
in an energy emergency, why would we gut the industries that are 
expanding supplies, cutting costs, and creating stability? We wouldn't. 
We don't solve a so-called emergency by kneecapping every solution 
except oil.
  It is not about ideology. Many, if not most, of these projects that 
will lose out are in parts of the country represented by my Republican 
colleagues. It is about whether we keep building the future or tear it 
down before it has had a chance.
  We should be competing with China. We should be making energy 
cheaper, not more expensive. We should be backing the American workers 
who are finally getting the chance to accelerate our energy leadership. 
Instead, the Republicans' big, ugly bill says to pack it up and go 
home.
  I won't stand for that, and neither should anyone who claims to care 
about jobs, economic growth, or energy security.

                          ____________________