White House opposes defunding public broadcasting

President Barack Obama believes that funding national public broadcasting is worthwhile, and he will request funding for it despite recent controversies.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said President Obama does "not support calls to eliminate funding for National Public Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as is evidenced by our budget." "We think they are worthwhile and important priorities, as our budget makes clear," Carney said. Carney declined repeatedly to say while public broadcasting should be federally funded except to note that Republican administrations have budgeted for NPR in the past. "I don't think people here want to get into the history of public broadcasting and public radian and why successive administrations of both parties have felt that it's worthwhile, but suffice it to say that we do," Carney said.