House Vote Spares Public Broadcasting Funds

Health, Education and Labor Programs Face Cuts Under Major Spending Bill

By Shailagh Murray and Paul Farhi

Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, June 24, 2005; Page A06

Unable to lower the budget ax on National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, the House agreed by a wide margin yesterday to restore funds to public broadcasting, as lawmakers struggled to pass the most politically painful spending bill so far this year.

The House voted 284 to 140 to add back $100 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's fiscal 2006 budget that had been cut in a committee, and to reverse a committee decision to eliminate all funding for the CPB within two years. The vote, which drew the support of 87 Republicans, followed a public relations blitz by public radio and TV stations, which fomented a widespread protest campaign by broadcasting ads that urged viewers and listeners to call their congressional offices.