[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     DEFENDING PUBLIC BROADCASTING

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to defend public broadcasting 
and honor the late Fred Rogers, whose birthday is today, March 20. 
Known fondly by millions simply as Mr. Rogers, his wonderful, beloved 
presence has reached millions of homes across our Nation captivating 
generations of children, and even adults.
  The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a vital part of America, 
including cities, but small towns as well. NPR and PBS stations will be 
disproportionately impacted by President Trump's proposed budget 
zeroing out public broadcasting. It is not right.
  President Trump's travel bill to Mar-a-Lago and the growing security 
that the American people are paying for over at his Trump Tower in New 
York, which reports show to already be in the tens of millions of 
dollars, will soon swamp the $200 million America dedicates to public 
broadcasting annually.
  We have been here before. In 1969, President Richard Nixon threatened 
to slash funding for PBS. Mr. Rogers went before the Senate to defend 
public broadcasting and its value to our children, especially for 
learning. I know I am not alone in wishing Mr. Rogers were with us once 
again to make the case for America's children and public broadcasting.
  I hope President Trump and my colleagues will join me in supporting 
programming that boosts kids' confidence and helps children enjoy 
learning and the wonder of math, science, and books.

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