Two congressional Democrats strongly oppose cuts to public broadcasting. Central New York Congressman John Mannion says the rescissions package attacks the foundational value of the freedom of the press.
WAER will lose $174,000 in federal funds. Mannion made a point of praising the work of WAER and other area public broadcasters impacted by the cuts.
“I strongly oppose the President’s decision to advance a rescissions package that includes deep and damaging cuts to public broadcasting. Clawing back resources from NPR, PBS, and local stations previously approved by Congress continues the troubling trend of Republican lawmakers doing the president’s bidding – in this case, attacking the foundational value of freedom of the press.
In NY-22, stations including WCNY, WRVO, and WAER are trusted institutions for news, educational programming, and emergency communication."Representative John W. Mannion (NY-22)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says Senate Republicans’ decision to slash funding will have devastating consequences on rural communities that may lose coverage due to the cuts.
"Our public broadcasting system is one of the few remaining institutions committed to providing free, fact-based programming to every American---regardless of zip code. By rescinding funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), this legislation threatens to gut funding for the local radio and television stations that millions of families rely on for trusted news, high-quality educational content, and lifesaving emergency alerts."U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee
