Florida Delegation Breaks on Party Lines on NPR Funding Vote

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure on Thursday calling for an end to federal funding of NPR -- a favorite GOP target these days, especially after an executive made a comment calling tea party activists racists.

While the measure is not expected to pass the Senate, the Florida delegation broke on party lines, with every Republican voting to defund NPR and all the Sunshine State Democrats on the other side.

The government mission of National Public Radio has long since expired and at a time when the government needs to be fostering a job creating environment, funding a publicly divisive entertainment organization is not the role of our government, said Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack. Even NPRs own former fund-raising executive recently admitted that the organization would be better off in the long run without federal funding.Todays vote does not stop NPR from operating; it merely forces them to work as hard as their competitors in a free market to provide their programming.

While defunding NPR is the right thing to do, it is only the first step of a long journey to make government more efficient and effective, added Mack.