In a full bipartisan rebuke to the BBG, which manages the Voice of America and other U.S. international broadcasts, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted unanimously for an amendment, introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., containing a provision that would allocate nearly $14 million exclusively for Voice of America’s Mandarin and Cantonese radio and satellite TV programs to stay on the air. The funding must now be approved by the House Appropriations Committee and agreed to by the Senate.
Fox News reported that in a bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations Committee in May, Rep. Rohrebacher and several House colleagues urged the panel to follow suit as it crafts the funding bill. They argued that the radio and satellite broadcasts remain “one of the best ways to communicate directly” with the Chinese people.
“We believe the administration’s proposal will hinder indigenous democracy movements in China and damage the long-term security of our own country,” they wrote. “Sacrificing U.S. broadcasting abilities while China’s authoritarian regime expands its broadcasting and public diplomacy efforts in the United States is the wrong answer.” For more information about Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s amendment to save Voice of America radio and TV to China see Fox News story: reported — Lawmakers Scramble to Keep Voice of America On Air in China