Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) joined her Democratic colleagues in opposition to President Trump’s $9.4 billion rescissions request to cut funding already appropriated by Congress. She made clear that the proposed $1.1 billion in funding cuts for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be detrimental to families and democracy.
Senator Blunt Rochester’s full remarks can be found here.
Senator Blunt Rochester’s full remarks can be found here or below, as delivered:
Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you also to Senator Durbin for creating this opportunity to speak up against this recission package.
When I ran for the Senate, I never thought I would have to stand up and defend Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, and Curious George. But here we are.
And it’s hard to believe that about 56 years ago, Fred Rogers himself actually came to the Senate to advocate for PBS funding. And in his closing, he shared a song he wrote to help teach children how to deal with their feelings of anger. The lyrics asked: “What do you do with the mad that you feel?”
I find his words poignant in this moment of incredible strife in our country. Because Mr. Rogers reminds us that we have ownership over our actions. In his words, “It’s great to be able to stop when you’ve planned a thing that’s wrong.” And, respectfully, to my colleagues across the aisle, this is wrong. And the American people need you to stop.
Stop prioritizing big corporations over the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR. The strange thing is this is actually a corporation that the Trump administration is refusing to protect. And it’s the one American families rely on for news, for education, and for public safety and weather alerts.
This harmful package – [cuts to funding] which had bipartisan support, funding that was approved by Congress – would cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which could force local TV and radio stations to close. It would gut funding for programming like PBS Newshour – a trusted news and public affairs show. It would cut funding for PBS kids – a trusted and safe source of children’s programming.
Speaking of trust: While only 33% of [Americans trust Congress], 66% of Americans trust PBS! And who will be hurt the most by these cuts? Families in low-income and rural areas. Why? Because not everyone can stream Netflix or watch Ms. Rachel on YouTube.
In Delaware and across the country, thousands and thousands of families who still don’t have access to internet in their homes. Which means that PBS is the best, most stable source of information for those households. And this package could cut them off.
These are programs with generational impact. From Sesame Street, which has been teaching young children – like my granddaughter – to count and spell since 1969. To the Gilded Age, a show that I love, that gives a dramatic glimpse into the history of our country. PBS, to me, is like a living library, granting access to art, food, culture, travel, and history across our nation and the world.
But it’s not just educational and it’s not just cultural. It’s lifesaving. PBS covers 97 percent of American households, ensuring life-saving alerts reach communities when other systems fail. They support our country’s emergency alert system, including earthquake early warnings, Amber Alerts, and warnings when severe weather is imminent. This is a vital service and cutting funding for these programs would be devastating.
My colleagues: As we embark on the 250th anniversary of our country, our goal should be expanding participation in this great American experiment through education, information, and knowledge. These form the foundation of an informed citizenry. And informed communities create a stronger democracy.
As I close, in the words of Randy Farmer, the Chairman of Delaware Public Media – my home state’s NPR affiliate – he said, “Independent journalism is the lifeline we depend on for a free an informed democracy.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides access to independent, nonpartisan journalism. To me, it is the epitome of public service.
So, to bring us back to where we started, to Mr. Rogers: I urge my colleagues to stop what they have planned. Because it is wrong. And I yield back.
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.