York: GOP Set On Defunding NPR
Byron York writes in the Washington Examiner:
After the release of the James O'Keefe sting video Tuesday, National Public Radio officials rushed to fire NPR head Vivian Schiller in hopes of slowing Republican efforts to cut federal funding for public broadcasting. But GOP leaders in Congress are vowing to push forward with their drive to cut off federal funding for National Public Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- and they say the effort will not be affected by Schiller's departure.
"This latest development in what appears to be an internal meltdown at National Public Radio only strengthens my resolve to eliminate all federal funding for NPR and its parent organization, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," said Rep. Doug Lamborn, the Colorado Republican who is leading the effort to defund both NPR and CPB.
"Our concern is not about any one person at NPR," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. "Rather, it's about millions of taxpayers. NPR has admitted that they don't need taxpayer subsidies to thrive, and at a time when the government is borrowing 40 cents of every dollar that it spends, we certainly agree with them."
In an interview with the Associated Press, Schiller made clear that the NPR board pushed her to resign because board members feared her continued presence might have hurt NPR's chances of defeating the Republican drive to defund public broadcasting. "I did not want to leave NPR," Schiller told AP. "There's a lot of pressure on NPR right now. It would have made it too difficult for stations to face that funding threat in Congress without this change." The AP reported "Schiller said she and the board concluded that her 'departure from NPR would help to mitigate the threat from those who have misperceptions about NPR as a news organization.'"
If NPR board members hope Schiller's firing will change the dynamics on Capitol Hill, they're likely mistaken. Republicans have wanted to defund NPR for many years -- long before the arrival and departure of Vivian Schiller. It is unrealistic to believe that one firing, even at the highest level, would change a view Republicans have held for so long.
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