Feingold launches “Spotlight on Spending” series

By Zach W On November 24, 2009 · 8 Comments · In Uncategorized

Yesterday Senator Russ Feingold, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, announced the launch of his “Spotlight on Spending” series to highlight actions Congress can take to reduce the deficit. The actions highlighted by Sen. Feingold are also included in the Control Spending Now Act Sen. Feingold authored, and the “Spotlight on Spending” series will highlight how the Control Spending Now Act could help reduce the nation’s deficit. The first featured provision is the elimination of the Radio and TV Martí program, which spends $30 million a year for a broadcast to Cuba that nobody tunes into:

“This relic of the Cold War attempts to broadcast radio and TV signals into Cuba that virtually no one tunes in to,” Feingold said. “Government studies show that Radio and TV Martí are riddled with problems, and fall short of journalistic standards. As we progress toward a more modern and constructive relationship with Cuba, Radio and TV Martí no longer have any real diplomatic or fiscal purpose. I plan to bring up this issue when the Senate takes up President Obama’s recently announced nominees to the Broadcasting Board of Governors.”

Radio Martí, launched in 1983, is a U.S.-funded, 24-hour radio program directed at Cuba with the intention of helping to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. In 1990, TV Martí was established for the same purposes. According to a January 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), both Radio and TV Martí broadcasts face jamming by the Cuban government, severely limiting the audience for Radio and TV Martí. At a cost of roughly $30 million per year, eliminating this program seems like a smart move, both from a budgetary standpoint and a political standpoint as our nation slowly creeps towards a more normal relationship with Cuba.

Tagged with: Russ Feingold

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8 Responses to Feingold launches “Spotlight on Spending” series

Jason Haas says:

November 24, 2009 at 9:56 am

That the station started in 1983 places it squarely within the Reagan administration. Reagan was virulently anti-communist, which is partially how he became famous in Republican circles in the 1950s. With the Cuban revolution against U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in January 1959, I bet Reagan was itching for a chance to try and undermine the Castro regime.

Obviously, it didn’t work. The Internet probably has done more to help fight dictatorship in Cuba than this waste of money ever did or can do.
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james wigderson says:

November 24, 2009 at 10:35 am

The amount is less than the federal funds being used to launch the stupid street car. Maybe Feingold should focus on that, instead.

Rather than trying to shut down Radio and TV Marti and appease the Communists in Havana, Feingold should be asking the Obama Administration to make the ending of the jamming of those transmissions as part of any future relaxation of tensions between the two countries.
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- Zach W says:
  
  November 26, 2009 at 8:35 am
  
  James, Sen. Feingold’s focus on cutting funding to Radio/TV Martí is just one of a number of steps he’s proposed as part of a larger piece of legislation which would reduce the deficit by over one half trillion dollars over ten years. Sure, the funding for Radio/TV Martí is just a drop in that big bucket, but try to look at the bigger picture.
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Kay says:

November 24, 2009 at 5:13 pm

dammit, Zach, I just got down writing my own piece on this before I checked out your blog….you get up too early!
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- Zach W says:
  
  November 24, 2009 at 8:22 pm
  
  Kay, I’m sorry for being so efficient!
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Kay says:

November 24, 2009 at 5:19 pm

Oh, btw, James, they’re *jammed* transmissions. Where is the common sense in that?

Remind us of what it means when you keep doing an unsuccessful thing over and over expecting different results.
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Ordinary Jill says:

November 26, 2009 at 8:29 am

Feingold is channeling Bill Proxmire, who was well known for his “Golden Fleece Award” that highlighted wasteful federal programs. Proxmire also spent the least amount of money on a successful Senate campaign in the 1980s. He basically paid for his filing fee and gas money while he drove around the state making personal appearances at small town parades and county fairs. No paid advertising at all. Those were different times.
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- Zach W says:
  
  November 26, 2009 at 8:38 am
  
  Yeah, and let’s not forget that it’s not as if Sen. Feingold just found fiscal responsibility because it’s an election year. After all, he was named a “Taxpayer Guardian” in the Senate by Taxpayers for Common Sense, and he has also been honored by the National Taxpayers Union as its “Top Senator” for his efforts to restrain federal spending. Oh, and did I mention he has also been recognized by Club for Growth, hardly a left-leaning organization, for his votes to curb wasteful spending?
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