NPR and PBS set to be cut from taxpayer teat, CEOs to face lawmakers at DOGE hearing

NPR and PBS CEOs are expected to testify before the Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee over their “blatantly ideological and partisan coverage.”

DOGE Subcommittee Chair Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) sent letters last month to NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS Paula Kerger with an invitation to testify about their coverage while receiving federal funding.

Kerger spoke to the New York Times regarding the Wednesday hearing.

“Everything is at stake,” she said. “The future of a number of our stations across the country will be in jeopardy if this funding is not continued.”

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump expressed his enthusiasm at the idea of potentially pulling the funding from the outlets.

“I would love to do that,” he said. “I think it’s very unfair. It’s been very biased- the whole group, the whole group of them.”

He further insisted that it would be an “honor” to pull taxpayer money that is “being wasted” on propping up the organizations.

Jeffrey McCall, DePauw University journalism professor, spoke to Fox News Digital about what he expects from the hearing, including his belief that the two CEOs are facing an uphill battle.

“There is basically nothing Kerger and Maher can say that will undo the track record PBS and NPR have put together over the years,” he pointed out. “If the public broadcasting executives try to claim they are centrist, they will lose all credibility.  If they admit to being left-leaning, they also lose.  And they could hardly promise to be more professional in order to save their funding, because such promises would sound hollow.”

“This sort of bias betrays the principles of objective reporting and undermines public trust. As an organization that receives federal funds, both directly and indirectly through its member stations, PBS should provide reporting that serves the entire public, not just a narrow slice of like-minded individuals and ideological interest groups,” read Greene’s letter to Kerger, which echoes similar sentiments to the one sent to Maher.

“This hearing is an opportunity for you to explain to Congress and the American people why federal funds should be used for public television—particularly the sort of content produced by PBS.”

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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