Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, says he’s still advocating for funding rural radio stations – even after voting for a rescission package to block federal funds for public broadcasting because of “biased reporting” by NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
Sullivan spokesperson Amanda Coyne said Sullivan has consistently warned executives from public media entities that their biased programming and reporting, funded in part by American taxpayers, would eventually jeopardize federal support for both national and local radio stations.
But Coyne said in a statement released on July 17 that Sullivan has been working for the last number of weeks with Senate colleagues and senior White House officials on alternative sources of funding to help keep rural radio stations on the air, particularly Native-led stations in Alaska. According to Coyne, there is approximately $10 million available for tribal and Native stations nationwide.
“Going forward, Sen. Sullivan will continue working hard to provide resources to support as many Alaska rural radio stations as possible,” she said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who voted against the rescission bill, is an outspoken critic of that legislation.
“My colleagues are targeting NPR but will wind up hurting – and, over time, closing down – local radio stations that provide essential news, alerts, and educational programming in Alaska and across the country,” she said.
Murkowski introduced an amendment on the Senate floor on the evening of July 16 to protect CPB funds, but it was voted down 51-47.
Murkowski also said the rescission process was undermining the authority of Congress.
“Finally, and most importantly, approving this package in this manner further shifts the balance of power over the federal budget to the executive branch,” she said. “Congress, not OMB, holds the power of the purse under the Constitution. To the extent that certain appropriations are not necessary to comply with the laws passed by Congress, we can best address that through the annual budgeting process, where we routinely rescind funds every year.”
