Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 549. This is a resolution introduced by my colleague, Mrs. Demings, that reaffirms the commitment by Congress to work with media entities and diverse stakeholders to find common ground solutions to eliminate barriers to diversity in our media. As a former radio broadcaster myself, I understand the efforts that the broadcast industry, and the media industry as a whole, takes to ensure diversity of ownership, viewpoint, and employment. My wife and I had to make those hiring decisions for our five radio stations. I know firsthand the business imperative to serve your community with local news and local programming that reflects the makeup of your community. While today's resolution focuses specifically on broadcast stations, this problem is not unique to one segment of the media industry; it is also an issue for their cable and digital streaming competitors in the marketplace. I appreciate the many steps that the industry has taken, not only to recognize and take responsibility for this, but also to put in place the many programs and initiatives to promote opportunities for women, minorities, and veterans. But as the data show, we still have room for improvement. While the House is considering this resolution today, it is my hope that we can work together in a bipartisan manner to address the inequality identified in this resolution.…”