Rep. Ronny Jackson targets press as member of Congress

March 27, 2025 | Representative introduces bill to strip NPR, PBS of government funding

March 27, 2025 | Representative introduces bill to strip NPR, PBS of government funding

Rep. Ronny Jackson introduced a bill to the U.S. House of Representatives on March 27, 2025, to eliminate all direct and indirect government funding for NPR and PBS, the latest Congressional move attacking the public broadcasters.

Executives for NPR and PBS testified March 26 before a government oversight subcommittee hearing titled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS accountable.”

In her closing remarks, Subcommittee Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene announced that the body intended to call for the dissolution of the government-backed Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides around 1% of the budget for NPR and 16% for PBS.

According to a previously unreported 2011 analysis published April 1 by The New York Times, the defunding of CPB would cause nearly 200 NPR member stations to close. The effect on PBS and member stations would be even more dire, the newspaper said.

The day after the hearing, Jackson — joined by Greene and others — introduced his bill to eliminate taxpayer funding for what he referred to as “the partisan broadcasting outlets” NPR and PBS.

“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,” Jackson said in a statement. “If these organizations want to push partisan agendas, they do not deserve another dime of federal support.”

Jackson sponsored similar legislation in 2023 and 2024 that failed to make it out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

According to CPB, the majority of the approximately $500 million it is appropriated each year is distributed to local public media stations. Funding for the nonprofit corporation was extended March 14, with the House and Senate approving $535 million for 2027.

“Public media in the United States is a highly efficient public-private partnership that delivers a strong return on the taxpayers’ investment,” CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said in a statement at the time. “With the support of Congress and the American people, CPB will continue to prioritize educational content and resources for families, provide essential local reporting and public safety information, and pursue technology advancements that enhance public media’s connection with audiences across multiple platforms.”