Congressmen get phonecalls

In the wake of local Public Broadcasting affiliates KWMU 90.7 and KETC Channel 9 making appeals to their listeners and viewers to contact their congressmen and ask them to fight proposed funding cuts for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting , the Arch City Chronicle contacted the Missouri Representatives from the surrounding three districts to see what type of response they have been receiving.

Spokespersons from Representative Lacy Clay's, Representative Russ Carnahan's and Representative Todd Akin's offices all said that they have been receiving a significant number of phone calls in support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

Steve Taylor, Representative Akin's press secretary, said there were a lot of NPR listeners in the 2nd Congressional District, but that the Congressman was a strong fiscal conservative and was elected as such.

"I don't think the Congressman will be voting in the manner many of the callers would like," said Taylor.

Taylor did mention that the Congressman was an occasional listener of NPR himself, but that fiscal conservativism is a matter of principle and that he is unlikely to support restoring federal funds for the CPB. Taylor said the Congressman needs to weigh the desires of constituents and the principles that the voters elected him to represent.

"You have to strike a balance," said Taylor.

Representative Carnahan has also received a significant number of calls, and he strongly supports fully funding Public Broadcasting.

"He's hopeful that funding will be restored before the [appropriations] bill reaches the floor [Thursday] or Friday," said Heather L. Todd, Carnahan's Press Secretary. "And if not, that an amendment could be added to the bill."

While there have been a large number of phone calls, the numbers at Carnahan's office were on average, if a bit more, with any issue that got people's attention.

Carnahan is not alone in his support of the CPB.

"[Congressman Clay] is fighting very hard to restore the funding," said Steve Engelhardt. "He's very upset."

Engelhardt said their offices in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis were receiving a high volume of calls all urging the Congressman to work to restore funding.

The potential funding reduction for the CPB is part of a appropriations bill. While the appropriations committee has passed on its recommended version of the bill, which includes the cuts, the bill can still be modified before the House of Representatives votes on it.

The bill is expected to be introduced today or tomorrow.