NPR, PBS defend death grip on funds, cite ‘lifesaving services’ – Washington Examiner
Public broadcasting executives from NPR and PBS are defending thier federal funding amidst significant criticism from conservative lawmakers, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.They are set to argue that cutting taxpayer support would endanger essential programming that provides “lifesaving services” to the public. Executives, such as NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher and PBS’s President Paula Kerger, contend that their programming is politically balanced and highlights the importance of public broadcasting, especially for rural communities.
Congress is currently considering defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has been accused of having a liberal bias by some politicians. Greene, expressing strong opposition to federal funding, suggests that these organizations are wasting taxpayer dollars and alienating conservative audiences. The executives are preparing to address these claims, emphasizing their commitment to nonpartisan content and the critical role of public broadcasting in emergency situations, such as natural disasters. They seek to counter perceptions of bias and secure continued financial support from Congress.
NPR, PBS defend death grip on funds, cite ‘lifesaving services’
Public broadcasting executives, facing the biggest threat yet to taxpayer funding, today plan to argue that cutting federal support will rob Americans of vital “lifesaving” programming.
In a desperate bid to defeat efforts to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Public Radio, and Public Broadcasting Service, the executives appearing before the House DOGE subcommittee today also plan to reject conservative claims of leftist bias.
In advance testimony provided to the newly-created House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, Katherine Maher, CEO and president of NPR, and Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, argued that programs, hosts, and audiences are politically middle-of-the-road.
“Although there is a perception that NPR only serves a liberal audience, NPR data shows us a different fact pattern,” Maher said in her testimony.
“PBS and its member stations provide an excellent value to the public in return for the federal investment, one that is supported and recognized by the American public,” said Kerger in her testimony.
President Trump is right!
NPR and PBS have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars pushing Democrat talking points and alienating over half the country.
I look forward to asking the leaders of both organizations tomorrow @DOGECommittee to explain to the American people why they… https://t.co/w7t9HKwsBm
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) March 25, 2025
The two will face a hostile chairwoman in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who on Tuesday told Secrets that she will push to defund public broadcasting.
She and President Donald Trump believe that NPR and PBS are biased against conservatives and can’t be changed. “They can hate us on their own dime,” Greene said. Trump on Tuesday also restated his hope of defunding CPB, which is set to receive $535 million in taxpayer funds this year that it distributes to PBS and NPR.
In the advance testimony, the executives practically groveled for continued funding.
Maher tackled the charges of bias — like those made by Greene — when she said that editorial decisions are made locally by NPR stations, not dictated by Washington, D.C. She also said that she has installed editors to make sure both sides are aired in stories.
In her testimony, Kerger targeted Greene when she said that PBS services are a boon to rural Georgia viewers, even providing local football coverage. She also said that PBS provided key services in Georgia when power failed during last year’s devastating Hurricane Helene.
“These lifesaving services, provided by local PBS public member stations to all Americans, are only possible because of the federal funding provided by Congress,” said Kerger.
In Tuesday’s interview, Greene predicted that the executives would portray their services as key to rural citizens like those she represents as a way to deflect attacks.
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Greene told Secrets, “I really don’t appreciate them talking down and looking down on the people that live in my district because they can receive their information on a smartphone, they receive their information on the internet, and they don’t need NPR and PBS to spoon-feed them Democrat bulls***.”
The subcommittee also distributed testimony from public broadcasting critic Michael Gonzalez of the Heritage Foundation. In his, he cited jaw-dropping bias even from travel icon Rick Steves, who compared Trump to Hitler on his Facebook page.
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