'Sesame Street' in trouble? Marjorie Taylor Greene-led committee wants to defund NPR, PBS
In another DOGE-related move, a Georgia leader has a major news organization in her crosshairs.
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene led a hearing at Capitol Hill called "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS Accountable." Here's what we know:
PBS, NPR grilled on Capitol Hill
In her opening of the hearing, Greene threw several criticisms at the heads of NPR and PBS calling them "radical, Left-wing echo chambers for a narrow audience of mostly wealthy, white, urban liberals and progressives, who generally look down on and judge rural America." She was particularly critical of their content around transgender individuals, accusing them of "brainwashing and transing children" and becoming "one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry."
She and other committee members also claimed biases against people and issues like President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the investigation into Hunter Biden. The latter was brought up by U.S. Rep. Brian Jack of Georgia who said NPR's failure to properly and quickly report on this raises concerns. NPR CEO Katherine Maher acknowledged mistakes were made and they have taken steps.
"We've instituted a monthly review....we have hired analysts to be able to count the number of stories we're running on any particular issue....we've moved from bringing pundits on air to bringing direct policy makers on air," she said. "Those are just a few of the things we have done so far."
The public broadcasting officials spent more than 2 hours explaining their personal and professional ideas and actions. By the end, their opponents seemed unfazed.
"I've lost confidence in public radio," said Rep. James Comer of Texas. "I don't think they should get a penny of federal funding."
At the end, Greene said they will be calling for the complete and total defund and dismantling of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
"NPR and PBS can hate us on their own dime," she said "It’s time American taxpayers stop footing the bill."
PBS, NPR defended on Capitol Hill
Not everyone at Wednesday's hearing was against public broadcasting. Among their defenders was Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts.
"For over two decades of service on this oversight committee, I've worked with members on both sides of the aisle to investigate issues of critical importance to the safety and security of the American people, including the conduct of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," Lynch said. "So I'm sad to see this once proud committee....has now stooped to the lowest levels of partisanship and political theater to hold a hearing for going after the likes of Elmo and Cookie Monster."
He wasn't the only one to bring up the "Sesame Street" characters. Rep. Robert Garcia brought up pictures of the various characters and satirically asked questions like "Is Elmo now or has he ever been a member of the Communist Party?" and "Are Bert and Ernie part of an extreme homosexual agenda?"
"I'm obviously using some humor here, but the fact that we're sitting here talking about defunding public television is actually not funny," Garcia said. "We need public media like PBS and NPR more than ever. A large majority of Americans say they trust PBS and that's exactly what extremists are trying to tear it down."
Who is Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Greene, 50, has served Georgia's 14th congressional district since 2021. This is largely the northwest area including cities like Rome and Dalton. Greene won another term in November. She is a prominent figure within the Republican party.
What is NPR?
NPR stands for the National Public Radio. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., this is an American public broadcasting organization.
What is PBS?
PBS stands for the Public Broadcasting Service. Based in Arlington, VA, this is a free American public broadcaster.
Is NPR and PBS popular?
According to Pew Research Center on Wednesday, about 24% of U.S. adults say Congress should remove federal funding from NPR and PBS. Meanwhile, 43% say NPR and PBS should continue to receive funding from the federal government, while 33% say they are not sure.
How much funding does NPR and PBS get?
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has received $535 million annually in recent federal budgets, according to Pew. The CPB helps to fund NPR and PBS both directly and through individual local public media stations, many of which pay NPR and PBS in the form of membership or programming fees.
Vanessa Countryman contributed to this story
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.