Congresswoman Ross Votes Against Republican Bill to Defund Public Broadcasting & Weaken US Global Leadership

Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) voted against Republicans’ recissions package, which would claw back $9 billion in funding Congress has already appropriated on a bipartisan basis for public broadcasting and critical foreign assistance programs. This bill will shut down rural television and radio stations— cutting off coverage of local news and high school sports, eliminating emergency information like severe weather alerts, and jeopardizing access to PBS KIDS beloved children’s programming, including Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. “Communities in North Carolina and across the nation rely on public broadcasting to stay safe during storms, to provide children with enriching educational content, and so much more,” said Congresswoman Ross. “In addition, the devastating funding cuts in this package will decimate core foreign policy investments that have defined our country’s global leadership for decades. This bill will hurt extremely vulnerable people who rely on federal support – both at home and abroad. Shame on all those who voted for this package and ignored the interests of their constituents to do Trump’s bidding.”