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!

Exclusive: Chip Roy introduces key bill protecting American land from CCP influence



Republican Rep. Chip Roy (Texas) introduced legislation Tuesday that would bar members of the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing land in the United States, according to the bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

The Securing America's Land from Foreign Interference Act would direct the president to "take actions as may be necessary" to prevent the purchase of public or private land in the United States by members of the CCP or under the influence of the CCP.

'If the Soviets were doing this 50 years ago, Congress would have already taken action; we need to look at the CCP with the same seriousness.'

China currently controls over 270,000 acres of land in the United States, with foreign investors overall controlling nearly 45 million acres of U.S. farmland, according to the latest data published by the Department of Agriculture.

"The Chinese Communist Party shouldn't be able to buy American land, and they especially shouldn't be able to buy our farmland or land near critical infrastructure like military bases, like we let them do now," Roy told Blaze News.

"If the Soviets were doing this 50 years ago, Congress would have already taken action; we need to look at the CCP with the same seriousness," Roy added.

In Texas alone, a Chinese-based energy company has purchased 130,000 acres of land close to Laughlin Air Force Base. Another Chinese company called Fufeng Group also purchased 300 acres of farmland just 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.

"That's why I first introduced the original language of this bill back in 2021," Roy told Blaze News. "Now — with a federal trifecta in the House, Senate and White House — Republicans have no excuse not to force this issue and pass legislation barring the CCP from buying any American soil."

Roy's bill is co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Brandon Gill of Texas, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Pat Fallon of Texas, Mark Green of Tennessee, Troy Nehls of Texas, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Jake Ellzey of Texas, Pete Stauber of Minnesota, Randy Weber of Texas, and Nathaniel Moran of Texas.

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

‘Don’t Try To Bully Me!’: GOP Rep, Secret Service Director Have Screaming Match Over 9/11 Event At Hearing

'I actually responded to Ground Zero'

EXCLUSIVE: Texas Republicans Press Biden-Harris Admin Over ‘Turning A Blind Eye’ To Non-Citizen Voters

'This is an unacceptable dereliction of your duty'

‘Go Back To Guarding Doritos’: GOP Rep Goes Ballistic On Secret Service Director For ‘Shameful’ Answers

'Fifteen out of 16 kill shots'

‘Never Mentally Fit’: Republicans Call For Biden To Resign Now That He’s Dropped Out Of The Race

'Kamala should invoke the 25th Amendment'

Hunter Biden Says He Was ‘High Out Of My Mind’ When He Threatened Chinese Business Associate, GOP Rep Says

'I was high out of my mind'

Marjorie Taylor Greene Reintroduces Resolution To Impeach Alejandro Mayorkas

'A pattern of conduct that is incompatible with the laws of the United States'

Republican's proposal would ban Congress members and their spouses from trading individual stocks



Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas is pushing legislation that would bar Congress members and their spouses from trading individual stocks.

According to a copy of the proposal posted by the Daily Caller, the text of the measure would prohibit lawmakers and their spouses buying and selling a "covered financial instrument," which the measure defines as a security "as defined in section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934."

The measure stipulates that certain vehicles such as mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, U.S. Treasury bills, bonds, and notes, and "any investment fund held in a Federal, State, or local government employee retirement plan" would not qualify as a "covered financial instrument."

The measure would allow for the spouse of a lawmaker to receive a "covered financial instrument" as payment for their work. "Beginning one year after the date on which a spouse of a Member of Congress is employed in the primary occupation of such spouse, such spouse may receive a covered financial instrument as compensation from such primary occupation during the period of employment at such occupation," the text of the measure reads.

Violators would be slapped with a fine of either "$25,000 per violation" or an amount equivalent to the value of the financial instrument that was sold or bought, whichever fine is larger.

"Undoubtedly some members seek to use their position to enrich themselves and their families. Still more make honest mistakes trying to navigate the often confusing reporting requirements. A cottage industry has sprung up in the media, often ignoring bad actors and instead excoriating innocent oversights for partisan reasons. To end all of this, we should simply pass legislation that, once and for all, makes it clear the sitting members of Congress are banned from trading individual stocks altogether," Fallon told the Daily Caller.

"The Insider Trading Prevention Act is a critical first step to restore the public's faith in Congress. This is clear, easy to understand and will eliminate altogether good faith errors and, more importantly, egregious self aggrandizement and insider trading," he noted, according to the outlet.

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

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Pat Fallon Introduces Legislation Preventing Members, Spouses From Buying Or Selling Individual Stocks

'a critical first step to restore the public’s faith in Congress'