In a move that is nothing short of attempting to silence any and all political opposition from wherever it may come, the Republican led House of Representatives passed a bill that will cut funding to NPR – National Public Radio. The vote was held along party lines, with only seven Republicans voting with Democrats to continue funding. It passed, with a vote of 228 – 192.
If the bill becomes law, it would mean that other stations could not buy programming from NPR or any other source using the $22 million they get from the federal government.
Democrats saw the move by Republicans as strictly a political move, and the Republicans way of appeasing the Teaparty. “Why are we wasting valuable floor time on an ideological battle?” said Representative Louise Slaughter of New York.
The bill is not expected to reach the Senate, but if it does, it is not expected to pass. Democrats have a slight 51-47 majority vote in the Senate.
