March 26, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 52 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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HONORING THE CABLE-SATELLITE PUBLIC AFFAIRS NETWORK; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 52
(House of Representatives - March 26, 2019)
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[Page H2816] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING THE CABLE-SATELLITE PUBLIC AFFAIRS NETWORK (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, this is very important. We are going to observe the 40th anniversary of C-SPAN. Are you ready for that? Are you braced for the excitement of it all? If that is not enough for you, today is my birthday. No singing. I thank you so much, and I will convey those good wishes to C-SPAN as well. Madam Speaker, our Founders envisioned a people's House that would be transparent and accountable to the American people. The very first House sessions were made open to the public so that the American people could see our debates and have their voices heard. I rise to honor an institution that powerfully honors that legacy, ensuring that our sessions can be a townhall for the Nation: the Cable- Satellite Public Affairs Network, C-SPAN. Since its founding 40 years ago, C-SPAN has offered tens of millions of Americans a front-row seat to democracy, training an unblinking eye on Congress and the campaign trail, Presidents and parliaments, and so much more. We all know C-SPAN is a pillar of our public discourse and a beacon of unbiased reporting, an institution so committed to objectivity and impartiality that its founder never once uttered his own name on the air throughout 33 years of interviews, roundtables, and lectures. I thank Brian Lamb for his service to our democracy. C-SPAN has not only exposed our public debate, it has enhanced our discourse, and in doing so, enriched our democracy: shining light on government to keep our leaders honest and accountable, educating and informing the public through gavel-to-gavel coverage, Book TV, American History TV, C-SPAN Radio, the Video Library, and interactive resources such as the C-SPAN bus--let's hear it for the C-SPAN bus--and renewing the promise and purpose of our American democracy, a government of, by, and for the people. In the first speech ever televised by C-SPAN, our former colleague, then-Representative Al Gore, spoke prescient words about its power. Al Gore said: The marriage of this medium and of our open debate have the potential . . . to revitalize representative democracy, offering a solution for the lack of confidence in government. Our country has been strengthened by C-SPAN's progress to deliver on that promise, revitalizing our democracy so that people can have confidence that this institution works for the public interest. On behalf of the House of Representatives, I did want to tell you some C-SPAN stories about what children have said about what they have seen when they have watched Congress in session, but I will save that for another day. On behalf of the House of Representatives, I thank the founder, Brian Lamb, and the entire C-SPAN family for their enduring contributions to the public debate and to our American democracy. Congratulations on 40 years. Madam Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), who is the minority leader. Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Speaker for yielding, and I also want to wish her a very happy birthday. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate a milestone in the history of open and accessible government. Now, many of us here and across the country were first introduced as a child to how government works through our Saturday morning cartoons in Schoolhouse Rock's ``I'm Just a Bill on Capitol Hill,'' but giving life to the animation, C-SPAN has taken the education and turned it into experience. Over the last 40 years, C-SPAN has ensured the country experienced some of the most consequential and memorable moments that transpired right here in this body. On the 50th anniversary of the Selma civil rights march, John Lewis reminded us of the quiet dignity of the 600 Americans who put their lives on the line that this Nation might live up to the promises made in its founding documents. As John Lewis said, Our country will never, ever be the same because of what happened on this bridge. C-SPAN was there. At the height of the Iraq war, Sam Johnson, a Vietnam veteran and POW, gave a powerful salute to our soldiers and taught us an important lesson about patriotism and service before self. We are better as a country because of the example Sam Johnson set. C-SPAN was there. Throughout these 40 years of experiences that have changed the culture of history, from the Contract with America to the election of the first woman Speaker, even capturing the lighthearted moments of humor that can make their way in to times of very serious debate, C- SPAN captured it all. This is important because the rise of the internet and the new media environment has only reinforced the need for C-SPAN's unfiltered coverage and unbiased programing. Now more than ever people must be able to form their own opinions. They need objective coverage, access to balanced analysis, and the opportunity to debate their views with others in good faith. C-SPAN does just that. Madam Speaker, James Madison believed that representative government did more than cater to individual interests. He said that one of its key advantages was that it refined and enlarged the public view about the common good. For the last 40 years, C-SPAN has been an irreplaceable tool for accomplishing Madison's vision. I know I speak for the whole House in congratulating C-SPAN for four decades of coverage. ____________________
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