President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to defund National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), calling them a "waste of money."
Trump made these remarks in response to a reporter's question, just one day before the CEOs of NPR and PBS were scheduled to appear before a House panel investigating government waste.
"It's been very biased," Trump said of NPR and PBS. "They spend more money than any other network of its type ever conceived. So the kind of money that's being wasted, and it's a very biased view. You know that better than anybody. I'd be honored to see it end."
Trump pointed to the numerous media outlets present and stated, "We are well covered. Look at all the people that we have here today. We are well covered. We don't need it. It's a waste of money."
Holding the heads of NPR and PBS Accountable."
Supporters of the networks argue that public broadcasting represents a minimal cost to taxpayers and provides quality and educational programming that commercial for-profit networks would not support.
The House DOGE subcommittee was established to assist the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, led by entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow for national security and foreign policy at The Heritage Foundation, will also testify before the subcommittee. Ed Ulman, CEO of Alaska Public Media, will serve as the Democrat witness.
"I want to hear why NPR and PBS think they should ever again receive a single cent from the American taxpayer," Subcommittee Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene said in a public statement.
"These partisan, so-called 'media' stations dropped the ball on Hunter Biden's laptop, down-played COVID-19 origins, and failed to properly report the Russian collusion hoax," Greene continued.
"Now, it is time for their CEOs to publicly explain this biased coverage. Federal taxpayers should not be forced to pay for one-sided reporting, which attacks over half the country to protect and promote its own political interests. I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to stop allowing the blatant misuse of taxpayer funds for partisan ends.
6 Comments
Habibi
President Trump is finally taking action to hold the media accountable. We need to stand behind him and support his efforts to defund NPR and PBS.
Answer
President Trump is right to defund NPR and PBS. These networks are a waste of money and don't serve the public interest.
The Truth
Defunding NPR and PBS would be a huge mistake. These networks provide a valuable service to the public and deserve our continued support.
Answer
These networks are always trying to undermine our democracy by promoting a socialist agenda. We need to defund them before it's too late.
BuggaBoom
These networks are always criticizing President Trump and his administration, even when they don't have any evidence to support their claims. They are clearly biased and should not be receiving government funding.
Karamba
Defunding NPR and PBS is an attack on American values of free speech and democracy. These networks provide a vital service to the public, offering high-quality, unbiased news and educational programming that commercial networks often neglect.