During a contentious hearing on Wednesday, a House Republican aligned with the Trump administration’s efforts for government efficiency called for dismantling and defunding the country’s public broadcasting system. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated, “We believe that you all can dislike us using your own resources.”
This call to action, coupled with President Donald Trump’s recent expression of support to cut federal funding, poses a significant threat to the public broadcasting system, which has existed since 1967 and currently receives around half a billion dollars in public funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Critics, predominantly Republicans, have long accused PBS and NPR news programming of leaning left. However, past attempts to reduce or eliminate funding have often faltered due to concerns about protecting local stations, especially the 336 PBS affiliates, with those in rural areas relying heavily on taxpayer funds.
This latest move against public broadcasting is part of the broader strategy by the new administration to challenge and, in some cases, penalize the American media, which President Trump has consistently criticized. Just this week, he denounced The Atlantic for publishing intercepted texts among defense officials planning a military action.
The issue of bias in public broadcasting drew strong criticism from GOP lawmakers during the hearing, particularly targeting NPR stations. Kentucky Rep. James Comer, recalling his past reliance on NPR for news while working on his farm, lamented the perceived shift from news to propaganda on the network. Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene raised concerns about programming content, displaying a picture of a “drag queen” from a PBS children’s show and objecting to documentaries featuring transgender individuals.
In response, PBS CEO Paula Kerger clarified that the “drag queen” reference was an error on the station’s website, not aired content, and defended the documentaries as reflecting diverse American experiences in adult programming.
Democrats at the hearing criticized the focus on public broadcasting as a distraction from more pressing matters, such as recent revelations of military planning details being shared inappropriately. Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch labeled the hearing as potentially shameful if the concept of shame still held weight in society.
Amidst the contentious exchanges, some moments of levity emerged, with California Rep. Robert Garcia humorously questioning if the character Elmo from “Sesame Street” had any Communist affiliations.
Both NPR President Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger acknowledged past mistakes and expressed regret over certain incidents involving the networks’ content and statements.
As detailed by Maher, NPR makes efforts to ensure a diversity of political viewpoints are presented in its editorial content. Internal documents revealed by The New York Times show a decline in NPR’s weekly listenership from 60 million to 42 million between 2020 and 2024, although Maher mentioned that these numbers have slightly improved in the past year.
Maher stated that NPR is not politically biased and considers itself an impartial organization. Former NPR editor Uri Berliner, who left the news outlet due to concerns of one-sided reporting, suggested in the Free Press that NPR should reject taxpayer funding in order to align more closely with progressive values.
During a recent hearing, Republican committee members raised questions about NPR’s reliance on public funding for its survival. When asked about the potential impact of losing public funding, Maher expressed concerns about the national public radio system, emphasizing its importance.
PBS President Kerger highlighted the valuable educational programming provided by PBS to local communities, particularly children. She expressed worries about the future of smaller PBS stations, calling it an “existential moment” for them.
