Political Quotes

“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. ____________________”