Chris Smith: “I rise in opposition to the Skaggs amendment which would zero out all funding for TV Marti. The Skaggs amendment is…”

“I rise in opposition to the Skaggs amendment which would zero out all funding for TV Marti. The Skaggs amendment is aimed at the heart of what is sometimes called surrogate broadcasting. An even better term is freedom broadcasting, sending the message of freedom to people who live in countries where this message is not permitted to be carried on domestic radio and television stations. The Skaggs amendment would deprive the many thousands of Cubans who are now able to see TV Marti, despite the Castro regime's jamming of vital information about the free world. This would not be the only effects of the amendment. If the United States concedes defeat to Castro, we will also be depriving millions of Cubans of the hope that comes with knowing that the free world cares. Eliminating freedom television broadcasting to Cuba, as the Skaggs amendment will do, would send exactly the wrong message at exactly the wrong time. The silencing of TV Marti would provide new hope for the Castro dictatorship and a fresh dose of despair for the Cuban people.”