Republican Bill Targets Public Broadcasting Business Models

There is no shortage of bills introduced in Congress to end federal funding of public radio and television, and now there is one more. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) has reintroduced legislation that he first proposed two years ago that, if passed, would eliminate all federal funding for both National Public Radio 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. “If these organizations want to push partisan agendas, they do not deserve another dime of federal support.”

No Partisan Radio and Partisan Broadcasting Services Act (H.R. 2443) or “No NPR and PBS Act” would simply prohibit funding of either network. It mirrors a bill Jackson introduced in March 2023 that says federal funding could not be used to purchase programming or payment of dues for either one of the national networks. But the bill does not bar the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from sending financial support to local radio or TV stations.

Jackson’s bill has so far corralled a dozen co-sponsors, including DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA14). She was critical of public media funding last week during a hearing that featured the heads of both NPR and PBS.

“As my DOGE subcommittee hearing showed, these taxpayer-funded PR arms of the Democrat Party don’t deserve the American people’s hard-earned money,” Taylor Greene said. “NPR and PBS hate President Trump, his supporters, and the majority of Americans who sent us a mandate in 2024. They can hate us on their own dime.”

Other co-sponsors include Reps. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Mike Collins (R-GA), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Chip Roy (R-TX), Keith Self (R-TX) and Randy Weber (R-TX).

The budget deal reached earlier this month to fund the federal government through Sept. 30 included $535 million for CPB in the fiscal year 2027 — upholding a two-year advance appropriation for public media. It includes $121.5 million for public radio stations. But Republicans have introduced several bills that would eliminate such funding.

President Trump said last week that he’d be happy to see public broadcasters lose their federal funding. “It’s been very biased,” said Trump. “We don’t need it, and it’s a waste of money.”

Yet the efforts to defund public broadcasters are out of step with what many Americans think. Pew Research released a survey last week that finds 43% think Congress should keep federal dollars rolling to NPR and PBS. That compares to 24% who say the time to end funding has come. A third of Americans polled by Pew say they are not sure. The survey — which was conducted March 10-16 — also shows that while 69% of Democrats want to fund public media, just 19% of Republicans agree.