Colorado Congressman Leads Effort To Strip Federal Funding From NPR

DENVER (CBS4)- A Colorado congressman is leading the effort to strip funding from National Public Radio.

Many listeners to NPR stations give money to help pay for the programming. NPR also receives federal money, $60 million a year, according to U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs.

He has introduced a bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC that would bar NPR from receiving any taxpayer dollars. It also prevents stations like KUNC radio in Greeley from using federal funds to buy NPR shows.

"Back in the day when it was created we had so few choices for consumers. Now we have hundreds of choices and there's a different feeling now. Americans realize we have to get serious about getting our spending under control," said Lamborn.

The station manager of KUNC, Neil Best, said the radio station will be okay without federal funding because it has enough private donations.

"I think the whole funding issue of public broadcasting taking on such a large role in the American public's conscious these days says something about the importance that public broadcasting has and also something about the difficulties we have as a country deciding how to handle the financial issues we face," said Best.

Rep. Lamborn's bill passed out of committee on a close vote Wednesday afternoon. It will be heard in the full house on Thursday.