Nita Lowey: “This is a blatant attempt to politically interfere with the programming decision-making of America's public radio…”

“This is a blatant attempt to politically interfere with the programming decision-making of America's public radio stations. Efforts to deny funding to public broadcasting for political reasons are a violation of America's standards of a free and independent press. This represents a wholesale breach of local stations' ability to make local, independent decisions to meet the needs of local audiences. Fundamentally, public broadcasting is rooted in local communities. Stations are locally licensed and governed, locally programmed and locally staffed. It is a system of local stations interconnected to enable local, regional and national program production and distribution, but committed to local service. For more than 40 years, the federal government has provided financial support for public broadcasting--to provide essential educational, news and cultural programming that meets the local needs of American communities, large and small. Public broadcasting is the last remaining source of independent, non-commercial, thought-provoking broadcast media in the country. In many communities, public radio is the only source of free local, national and international news and music and cultural programming. Public radio stations are located in nearly every major city and small town, delivering highly trusted, agenda-free news and information to 37 million Americans each week.”