Luján: GOP Vote to Rip Away Public Broadcasting Funds Endangers Rural and Tribal Communities

1500+ Local Public Radio and TV Stations At Risk of Losing Funding WATCH : Luján Offers Motion to Recissions Package to Protect AMBER & Emergency Alerts WATCH : Luján Sounds Alarm on Dangerous GOP Plan to Gut Public Broadcasting WATCH : Luján Joins Democratic Leadership Press Conference on Cuts Package Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted for President Trump’s reckless plan to steal funding from public broadcasting and foreign assistance: “On the heels of the devastating GOP Budget Betrayal that threatens to strip health care and nutrition assistance from millions of Americans, Senate Republicans have now passed a reckless spending cuts package that slashes funding for public broadcasting, threatens public safety, and undermines our national security. This is a dangerous rubber stamp for Trump’s unchecked power. “In rural and Tribal areas, when disaster strikes, public broadcasting is often the only source of evacuation notices, shelter locations, and updates from first responders and law enforcement. Yet Senate Republicans voted to steal millions from public broadcasting that help keep our communities informed and safe. “Even Republican leadership has acknowledged that the Trump administration has no real plan for how these cuts would be implemented. Without fully understanding the consequences, Senate Republicans blindly voted to strip away bipartisan funding and turn their backs on the constituents they were elected to serve.” Senator Luján offered a motion to the Republican recissions package to protect public broadcasting and the lifesaving emergency alerts it provides. Last week, Senator Luján took to the Senate floor to call out the Trump administration’s plan to defund public radio and television stations nationwide following deadly flooding in New Mexico and Texas. This week, Senator Luján joined Senate Democrats in continuing to sound the alarm on the dangers of cutting previously allocated federal funding for public broadcasting. ###