NEW: Cicilline Opposes NPR Cuts

NEW: Cicilline Opposes NPR Cuts

Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline took to the floor of Congress yesterday to denounce a Republican bill that would cut federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR).

Cicilline began his speech by suggesting that the bill in question was more a product of political machination than it was an earnest attempt at reducing the deficit.

“Overwhelmingly, my Rhode Island constituents agree, this legislation is no more than an ideological attack on public broadcasting, masquerading as a fiscal issue” said Cicilline, who also pointed out that federal funding for NPR accounts for less than three thousandths of one percent of the annual deficit.

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This issue is not a new one for Cicilline, who earlier this year signed on to a letter to both Congressional party leaders urging them to oppose funding cuts to public broadcasting. Throughout his speech, Cicilline continued to emphasize the marginal role public broadcasting plays in the federal budget “The non-partisan congressional budget office says this legislation will not reduce the deficit by a single penny.”

Cicilline also appealed to what he believed to be the inherent social value of public radio: “public broadcasting gives voice to the smallest and the most diverse communities in our country…I urge my colleagues to vote against this assault on the free exchange of ideas, and instead, support a democracy that continues to listen to its people.”

He concluded one a pragmatic note, pointing out that by cutting federal funding, the bill would result in numerous job losses for those currently employed by local public radio stations.