Washington, D.C. –  Today, the House of Representatives considered the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Act for FY06.  Contained in this bill was a provision to drastically cut the funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The California Democratic Congressional Delegation joined the majority of their colleagues in the House to restore $100 million to the CPB.  Unfortunately, California Republicans voted against funding public broadcasting. 

“We’ve heard of sacrificial lambs, but not sacrificial big birds.  There are 43 public broadcasting stations in California that provide the invaluable service of unbiased educational children’s programming.  We cannot afford to allow theses stations to go dark.  The votes of the 15 California Republicans belong in the trash with Oscar the Grouch,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation.

Had the bill passed, cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would have been about $100 million or 25% of their current budget.  California’s Public Broadcasting stations would have lost $14.7 million in federal support. 

California Republicans who voted against funding for public broadcasting: Rep. Calvert, Rep. Cox, Rep. Doolittle, Rep. Drier, Rep. Herger, Rep. Hunter, Rep. Issa, Rep. Lewis, Rep. Lungren, Rep. McKeon, Rep. Gary Miller, Rep. Pombo, Rep. Radanovich, Rep. Rohrabacher and Rep. Royce.

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