Manuel Lujan: “my motion is simple: Public broadcasting infrastructure funding should not be rescinded if it limits access to emergency…”

“my motion is simple: Public broadcasting infrastructure funding should not be rescinded if it limits access to emergency alert systems and lifesaving weather updates. Just last week, devastating floods across New Mexico claimed the lives of three people, including two children. Local radio was on the air issuing real-time warnings and helping people get to safety. Despite these horrible tragedies in New Mexico, Texas, and the Northeast, my Republican colleagues are prepared to gut public broadcasting funding. Public radio stations and local media are lifelines, especially in rural and Tribal communities. They don't just play music or share stories; they deliver emergency alerts and evacuation notices and lifesaving updates when disaster strikes. It is not just weather. These systems broadcast AMBER Alerts when children go missing--alerts where every second counts. Delays costs lives. Whether it is a flood, a fire, or a missing child, communities rely on these alerts to stay safe. Without funding and infrastructure, stations will collapse.”