Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is under fire for her purported "glee" in cuts that will harm her constituents.
Stefanik on Saturday took to social media to celebrate the defunding of public radio stations, saying, "Goodbye NPR and NCPR!" NPCR is the local New York public affiliate in the congresswoman's district.
That comment led reporter Alex Gault to highlight some of his own earlier reporting.
"The NCPR general manager told me yesterday he found it disturbing how much glee the Congresswoman seems to be taking in the pain these cuts will cause in her own district," the reporter wrote before adding, "And one other thought. Some rescissions yes votes said they didn’t project the cuts would seriously damage NPR, PBS or local stations. Stefanik clearly likes that it will. I don’t think any other yes votes have openly targeted their local stations in the way she has with NCPR."
Gault also drew attention to his story containing the quote from the NCPR general manager.
“In addition to lying and misrepresenting NCPR’s work, it is extremely concerning that at a time when so many people across rural America are struggling to make ends meet, she would be celebrating the almost certain job losses that will be a result of these cuts,” he said, according to the news report. “Rural stations employ real people who make real contributions to their community. They shop at small businesses, have kids that attend local schools, and care about the future of their towns and villages. To hear an elected official celebrating the hardship that some people will face is disturbing, to say the least.”
Political scientist Norman Ornstein responded to the story with, "She is a monster."
Read the full article here (subscription required).