Congressional Record UNUM

E PLURIBUS

United States

of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112th

 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m.

Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.

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H4911 

Vol. 158 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012 No. 108 

House of Representatives 

The House met at 10 a.m. and was 

called to order by the Speaker pro tempore (Mrs. SCHMIDT

f 

). 

DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO 

TEMPORE 

The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following communication from the Speaker: 

WASHINGTON, DC, 

July 18, 2012. 

I hereby appoint the Honorable JEAN

SCHMIDT to act as Speaker pro tempore on 

this day. 

JOHN A. BOEHNER, 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

f 

MORNING-HOUR DEBATE 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 17, 2012, the Chair will now recognize Members from lists submitted by 

the majority and minority leaders for 

morning-hour debate. 

The Chair will alternate recognition 

between the parties, with each party 

limited to 1 hour and each Member 

other than the majority and minority 

leaders and the minority whip limited 

to 5 minutes each, but in no event shall 

debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. 

f 

PUBLIC BROADCASTING 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentleman from 

Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 minutes. 

Mr. BLUMENAUER. There is a sad, 

unnecessary battle shaping up again 

over the future of public broadcasting. 

It’s not an exaggeration to say that 

this battle is about the very future, the 

very existence of public broadcasting. 

You might have thought that we were 

past this when, 15 months ago, the Republican House leadership targeted 

NPR and tried to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

Luckily, last year, the 170 million 

people who don’t just listen or watch 

public broadcasting but depend upon it, 

unleashed an unprecedented show of 

support. As a result, the Republican 

leadership walked back. They cut, but 

did not kill, the Federal support for 

public broadcasting despite the rhetoric. And there was actually a constructive sign in last year’s appropriations bill that requested a study to examine alternatives to funding public 

broadcasting with Federal funding so 

that people would have hard facts to 

operate on this year. 

Ironically, that study—requested by 

our Republican colleagues—now being 

circulated, clearly shows that there is 

no viable alternative to Federal funding for public broadcasting. Many of 

the proposals that have been suggested 

would actually end up with less overall 

revenues in the long term. 

The House appropriations bill being 

marked up this morning would slash 

funding now, defund NPR Federal support, and end public broadcasting as we 

know it, within 2 years. At the same 

time, we have a Republican Presidential nominee who singled out public 

broadcasting as one of the five programs that he would eliminate. 

This is because Governor Romney 

and the Republicans listen to a tiny 

fraction of the American public that is 

even a minority in their own party. A 

recent poll showed that two-thirds of 

the Republicans surveyed would either 

keep Federal funding as it is, or increase it. What resonates with Republican primary voters is not what America wants, needs, or believes. 

The unprecedented threat comes at 

exactly the time America needs public 

broadcasting most. NPR News, the object of greatest Republican scorn, is 

the most trusted brand in the American news media. Listeners learn something, unlike Fox News viewers, who, 

surveys show, actually know less about 

the facts than people who listen to no 

news at all. 

NPR News has again the highest rating for the ninth year in a row. PBS 

shows like ‘‘Sesame Street’’ have 

helped three generations of parents 

raise their children with effective, 

commercial-free educational programing. 

Locally owned news is becoming only 

a memory for most of America as larger corporations buy up radio and television stations and local newspapers. 

There’s no money to be made by commercial stations that cater to the special needs of rural and small-town 

America. But public broadcasting is 

there because their mission is to serve, 

not make money. Often, these locally 

owned and managed public broadcasting stations are the only source 

that is direct news, education, and entertainment locally managed for local 

needs. 

We must stop the attack on this critical service for rural and small-town 

America. It’s time for the 170 million 

Americans who depend on public broadcasting every month to speak out 

again and for Congress to finally listen. 

The radical proposal to slash public 

broadcasting, defund NPR, and terminate public broadcasting as we know it, 

is the most powerful symbol of how out 

of step the Republican leadership is 

from the country they are supposed to 

represent. 

There’s no reason to make public 

broadcasting a partisan issue. The 

American public has broad support for 

it, Republicans, Independents and 

Democrats alike, especially when PBS 

and its member stations were named 

number one in public trust and an ‘‘excellent’’ use of taxpayer dollars for the 

ninth consecutive year. 

Since I’ve been in Congress, we’ve 

beaten back this destructive effort, but 

our challenge now has never been more 

urgent. It’s time for people who believe 

in public broadcasting to stand up to 

what can only be termed extremism 

and settle this question once and for 


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