Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is planning to propose legislation that would cut National Public Radio’s (NPR) federal funding in response to the suspension of an editor who exposed the outlet’s left-wing bias. Blackburn is considering various options to prevent NPR from receiving public funds, citing the outlet’s failure to represent the voices of half the country. She previously attempted to cut funding to NPR in 2011 while in the House of Representatives, and is now looking to take action against the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides funding to NPR.
CPB, which is fully funded by the federal government, provides grants to NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The grants to NPR are utilized for international bureaus and distribution infrastructure that serves all public radio stations. Recently, NPR veteran editor Uri Berliner was suspended without pay for publicly criticizing the outlet. Berliner highlighted the lack of viewpoint diversity within NPR’s editorial positions, with 87 registered Democrats and zero Republicans at the Washington, D.C., headquarters. He criticized NPR’s coverage of various stories, including allegations against former President Trump, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and the origins of COVID-19.
Berliner’s criticism of NPR sparked calls from Republican lawmakers to defund the outlet. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, has introduced legislation to defund NPR in Congress. Jackson is seeking more co-sponsors for his bill and is urging House leadership to consider it. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., also expressed support for oversight of NPR following the recent suspension of a whistleblower. He emphasized the need for politically diverse staff at NPR to provide a truly neutral and balanced perspective, rather than functioning as a propaganda machine for the Democratic Party.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is exploring options to end public funding for NPR, with a spokesperson stating that Congress should take action. The push to defund NPR comes amid growing concerns about the outlet’s alleged liberal bias and lack of political diversity among its staff. Blackburn and other Republican lawmakers argue that it is unfair for American taxpayers to fund an outlet that fails to provide a balanced perspective and represent a wide range of voices. NPR has not yet provided a comment on the proposed legislation to cut its federal funding, but the debate over the outlet’s future funding is likely to continue in Congress.
