Trump admin moves to end taxpayer funding for PBS, NPR



The Trump administration is moving forward with its plans to cut all taxpayer funding for public broadcasting.

The New York Post reported Monday that the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, sent a memo to Congress requesting the elimination of the funding. He is also pushing to codify other budget cuts identified by the Department of Government Efficiency.

'Since day one, the Trump Administration has targeted waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal spending through executive action, DOGE review, and other efforts by departments and agencies.'

The "rescissions" plan would cut off $1.1 billion in funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. Additionally, it would axe $8.3 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Vought's memo accuses CPB of a "lengthy history of anti-conservative bias" and USAID of "waste, fraud, and abuse," the Post reported.

CBP has argued, "Public media in the United States is a highly efficient public-private partnership that delivers a strong return on the taxpayers' investment. For every public dollar provided, stations raise nearly seven dollars from donors, underscoring their value to the communities they serve."

Vought noted that NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher called Trump a "deranged racist" and a "fascist." He also highlighted two PBS programs that included trans-identifying characters.

"Since day one, the Trump Administration has targeted waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal spending through executive action, DOGE review, and other efforts by departments and agencies. Congress has expressed strong interest in supporting those efforts, and requested the Administration transmit rescissions to the Hill for swift approval," Vought wrote.

"OMB recommends the Administration respond with two proposals to cut $9.3 billion," he continued. "The first includes a rescission of $8.3 billion in wasteful foreign aid spending (out of $22 billion) that does not expire in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The second is a separate rescission of all Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — which funds the politically biased public radio and public television system."

Lawmakers have 45 days to adopt or reject the rescission plan. The White House is reportedly optimistic it will pass.

Vought stated that without the rescissions, taxpayer funds would continue to be spent on many wasteful programs, including $9.4 million for "Championing Transformative Changes in Gender Norms," $6 million for Palestinian media and civic society support, and $3 million for Iraqi "Sesame Street," to name a few.

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) proposed legislation in March that, if passed, would prevent NPR and PBS from receiving taxpayer funds.

Jackson introduced the bill, No Partisan Radio and Partisan Broadcasting Service Act, after a heated House Oversight subcommittee hearing with Maher and PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger, where lawmakers pressed them about their outlets' political bias. Both Maher and Kerger insisted their outlets were unbiased.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the subcommittee's chairwoman, asserted that the hearing proved NPR and PBS are "taxpayer-funded PR arms of the Democrat Party" and therefore "don't deserve the American people's hard-earned money."

"NPR and PBS hate President Trump, his supporters, and the majority of Americans who sent us a mandate in 2024. They can hate us on their own dime," Greene declared.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Racial Grievance Theater Is About Humiliation, Not History

Americans should be wary of all historical and political narratives that leverage racial grievance and victimhood.

The disturbing history of NPR CEO Katherine Maher



Congress is actively debating defunding PBS and NPR — and thank goodness. The networks are leftist propaganda mills.

On Wednesday, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), held a contentious hearing, during which the panel grilled NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger over bias and federal funding.

Maher’s hearing was particularly heated, as various committee members skewered her for the network’s failure to cover certain topics and Maher’s past tweets.

Glenn Beck and co-host of “The Glenn Beck Program” Stu Burguiere were glad to see Maher finally being forced to reckon with her troubling past.

To say Maher has an “interesting work history” is an understatement. Before she was the CEO of NPR, Maher worked for the U.S. State Department and the National Democratic Institute, “one of the main branches of the National Endowment for Democracy.”

Maher was specifically employed at the NDI “during the Arab Spring” when the agency was actively “promoting” the movement.

From 2014 to 2021, she served as the chief communications officer and then the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that runs Wikipedia. During her stint at the company, Wikipedia “changed” and “started controlling information.”

Journalist Christopher Rufo “all but called her a CIA agent,” says Glenn, adding that he’s long known “she's part of this whole deep state revolutionary thing.”

The fact that Maher is “currently on the board of [the Signal Foundation]” — the organization that oversees Signal, an encrypted communication platform — is further evidence that she’s a deep stater, he says.

“What she has done is not just work in these places and not just have influence in these stories that keep coming up over and over again,” says Stu. Maher has “explicitly [stated] her crazy positions over and over and over and over again on Twitter.”

During the hearing, she was questioned about these tweets by Texas Rep. Bandon Gill (R).

In January 2020, Maher, quoting Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article “The Case for Reparations,” tweeted: “‘America begins in black plunder and white democracy.’ I appreciate the day off today to finally fully read The Case for Reparations.”

When Gill read this tweet, Maher said she didn’t recall ever posting the statement and claimed she never read “The Case for Reparations.”

Even if that’s true, then “she was just being a shill to promote this point of view,” says Glenn.

Gill also referred to a tweet Maher posted in May 2020: “So! America is addicted to white supremacy and that’s the real issue.”

Her response was to claim that her position has “evolved” since then.

To hear more about Maher’s history, watch the clip above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

GOP seeks to cut off NPR, PBS from taxpayer funds: 'Radical-left propaganda'



Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) proposed legislation on Thursday to prevent National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service from receiving taxpayer funds.

Jackson announced the bill following a tense hearing with NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher and PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger.

'These taxpayer-funded PR arms of the Democrat Party don't deserve the American people's hard-earned money.'

The House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency questioned Maher and Kerger about the outlets' political bias, citing public remarks, partisan reporting, and gender ideology programming.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), DOGE subcommittee chairwoman, highlighted Maher's social media posts.

"You posted on X that 'America is addicted to white supremacy' — that's appalling. You publicly chastised using the phrases 'boy and girl,' which you said 'erases the language for nonbinary people,'" Greene told Maher.

Maher expressed regret for previously referring to President Donald Trump as a "deranged racist" and "sociopath." She also admitted that NPR "made a mistake" by ignoring the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.

During the hearing, Greene pressed Kerger about programming that featured gender ideology and a cross-dressing man.

Maher and Kerger maintained that their respective outlets were unbiased and should continue receiving taxpayer funds, but House Republicans were unconvinced.

Jackson's proposed bill, No Partisan Radio and Partisan Broadcasting Service Act, would "eliminate all federal funding" for NPR and PBS.

Jackson stated, "For decades, radical Democrats have funneled taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS under the guise of 'serving the public,' despite both organizations abandoning their founding missions to provide non-biased content and instead promoting the same radical-left propaganda as any other fake news outlet."

"If these organizations want to push partisan agendas, they do not deserve another dime of federal support," he added.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jackson accused the outlets of being "chronically biased" and "pushing Democratic talking points under the fake banner of 'public media.'"

"It's time to cut them off and stop forcing taxpayers to pay for their liberal lies!" Jackson declared.

Greene announced that she is co-sponsoring Jackson's bill.

"As my DOGE subcommittee hearing showed, these taxpayer-funded PR arms of the Democrat Party don't deserve the American people's hard-earned money. NPR and PBS hate President Trump, his supporters, and the majority of Americans who sent us a mandate in 2024. They can hate us on their own dime," Greene said.

Additional co-sponsors of the proposed bill include Republican Reps. Jodey Arrington (Texas), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Mike Collins (Ga.), Neal Dunn (Fla.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Troy Nehls (Texas), Chip Roy (Texas), Keith Self (Texas), and Randy Weber (Texas).

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

21 Million Voters Can’t Provide Proof Of Citizenship — Making The SAVE Act Even More Necessary

Trump's executive order and the SAVE Act simply add teeth to current prohibitions on noncitizens voting.

NPR’s Leftist CEO’s Testimony Is Laughable, But The Joke’s On The Taxpayer

Katherine Maher told a congressional committee on Wednesday that NPR delivers 'nonpartisan, fact-based' reporting. Hilarious.

10 Times NPR Proved It Doesn’t Deserve Another Taxpayer Cent

On top of its blackout of the Hunter Biden laptop story, here are 10 other times NPR proved it doesn't deserve another taxpayer dime.

NPR’s President Claimed With A Straight Face Her Outlet Wasn’t Biased. Here’s 5 Times NPR Was Shamelessly Political

'nonpartisan organization'

NPR CEO, Who Called Trump 'Deranged Racist Sociopath,' Tells Congress There's No 'Political Bias' at Taxpayer-Funded Broadcaster

NPR CEO Katherine Maher, who once called President Donald Trump a "deranged racist sociopath," testified Wednesday to Congress that she's "never seen … political bias" at the taxpayer-funded outlet, a comment that provoked laughter.

The post NPR CEO, Who Called Trump 'Deranged Racist Sociopath,' Tells Congress There's No 'Political Bias' at Taxpayer-Funded Broadcaster appeared first on .

GOP torches NPR, PBS for political bias amid public funding scrutiny



On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency grilled the heads of National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service about the outlets' political bias.

During the hearing, Republican lawmakers contended that NPR and PBS should no longer receive taxpayer funding for several reasons, highlighting the networks' partisan reporting, the nation's $36 trillion of debt, and the public's access to plentiful alternative news sources, eliminating the need for government-backed options.

'How much reparations have you personally paid?'

NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher came under fire for leftist comments she previously made online, including calling President Donald Trump a "deranged racist" and "sociopath."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the subcommittee's chairwoman, told Maher, "You posted on X that 'America is addicted to white supremacy' — that's appalling. You publicly chastised using the phrases 'boy and girl,' which you said 'erases the language for nonbinary people.'"

Greene reminded Maher that taxpayers who voted for Trump also contributed to the federal funds NPR receives.

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) also came prepared with receipts of Maher's far-left comments.

"Do you think that white people should pay reparations?" Gill asked.

"I have never said that, sir," Maher replied.

"Yes, you did. You said it in January of 2020. You tweeted, 'Yes, the North, yes all of us, yes America. Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day,'" Gill continued.

Maher argued that it was not a reference to financial reparations.

"I think it was just a reference to the idea that we all owe much to the people who came before us," she stated.

"That's a bizarre way to frame what you tweeted," Gill replied. "How much reparations have you personally paid?"

Maher stated she had not paid any.

"Okay. Just for everybody else?" Gills asked. "Seems to be what you're suggesting."

At one point during the hearing, Maher expressed "regret" for her comments about Trump.

"I would not tweet them again today. They represented a time where I was reflecting on something that I believed that the president had said rather than who he is. I don't presume that anyone is a racist," Maher stated.

Meanwhile, Democrats' counter-argument strategy primarily included accusing Republicans of attacking free speech and "Sesame Street."

Several subcommittee Democrats appeared less interested in participating earnestly in the hearing, instead launching into absurd and irrelevant lines of questioning about Elmo and Big Bird.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) kicked off his opening statement by accusing the subcommittee of becoming politicized. He used most of his allotted time to attack the Trump administration about the recent Signal group chat leak.

"I'm sad to see that this once-proud committee … has now stooped to the lowest levels of partisanship and political theater to hold a hearing to go after the likes of Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Arthur the Aardvark. All for the unforgivable sin of teaching the alphabet to low-income families' children and providing accessible local news and programming," Lynch stated.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) fired off an extraneous line of questioning, arguing that the public funding hearing was not "serious."

Garcia asked PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger, "The American people want to know, is Elmo now, or has he ever been, a member of the Communist Party of the United States?"

Rep. Gregorio Casar (D-Texas) engaged in similar antics, asking Heritage Foundation senior fellow Michael Gonzalez about "Sesame Street" characters.

"To your knowledge, has Miss Piggy ever been caught trying to funnel billions of dollars in government contracts to herself?" Casar asked.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) argued that pulling taxpayer funding from NPR and PBS would threaten free speech and the safety of rural Americans.

She claimed that Republican lawmakers "don't care about public safety, they don't care about emergency management, and they don't care about free speech."

Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) argued that Democratic lawmakers have "viciously and vehemently" supported the funding for NPR and PBS because the outlets have "become a propaganda wing" for the party.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!