WASHINGTON – Forty witnesses flocked to the Capitol today to convince Congress to appropriate funding to their respective organizations in fiscal year 2011. They each presented four-minute testimonies to the House Appropriations Committee’s Labor, Health & Human Services and Education subcommittee. But Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.) began the hearing with a sobering disclaimer.
“When it comes to health care research or…education or…worker protection, I am a big spender and I make no apology for it,” Obey said. “But, we do have a problem.”
Funding all 40 programs would increase President Obama’s proposed FY2011 budget by $14 billion. And, he added, Congress is being asked to cut $3.5 billion from the proposed budget.
“What you ask for is certainly needed, I recognize that,” Obey said to the witnesses. “But I hope that you recognize that we need one hell of a lot of help to convince the public that we do the country no favors when we short-cheat crucial long-term investments in health care, education, worker protection and the like.”
And with that, the series of testimonies began, with earnest pleas coming in from the Society for Neuroscience, the American Legion, the Afterschool Alliance, the National Writing Project, AIDS Institute, the National Alliance to End Homelessness and more.
Ford W. Bell testified on behalf of the American Association of Museums and said additional funding to the nation’s more than 17,000 museums would help the economy, since “museums are significant job creators.” He added that zoos and aquariums also create green jobs and foster science education.
Dean Roland, of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, said that while early childhood programs have proven benefits, they are “chronically underfunded” and can serve only half of the eligible kids. Investing in educational programs such as Head Start will help prevent crime down the line, said Roland.
Vivian Schiller, president of National Public Radio, vouched on behalf of journalists. It’s no secret that the face of journalism is changing. Recent years have seen decreasing numbers in revenue, audiences, advertising and newsroom staffs. Schiller said NPR, a nonprofit organization, has actually experienced audience growth and has reached a new high, with 34 million listeners tuning in for six hours per week. She appealed to the subcommittee with a barrage of statistics from a recent Pew study on the state of journalism. She ended by saying that NPR “and all of public broadcasting have an integral and primary role to present the future information needs of American communities.”
Though these 40 witnesses have advocated for more funding, Obama’s proposed FY2011 budget has yet to be approved.