MTG-led panel plans hearing to grill NPR and PBS heads
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks before a Trump rally at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Oct. 15 in Atlanta, Ga. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Monday called on the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify at a 'DOGE' subcommittee hearing on what she described as "systemically biased content" from federally funded radio and TV organizations.
Why it matters: Greene's hearing dovetails with a Federal Communications Commission investigation into the two broadcasters, which are longtime targets for Republican budget slashers.
Driving the news: Greene, the chair of the new DOGE subcommittee, sent letters on Monday to NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, writing that "the subcommittee seeks to better understand" each news organization's "position on providing Americans with accurate information."
- In letters to both CEOs, Greene wrote that the subcommittee is concerned by the two news organizations' "blatantly ideological and partisan coverage."
- Greene asked both CEOs to testify during the week of March 3 or March 24. It's the first hearing to be announced for the subcommittee.
- Elon Musk tweeted his approval, calling it an "excellent action" by Greene.
What they're saying: NPR in a statement Monday refuted Greene's characterizations and said the company's workers "constantly strive to hold ourselves to the highest standards of journalism."
- "We welcome the opportunity to discuss the critical role of public media in delivering impartial, fact-based news and reporting to the American public," the organization said in a statement.
- "We appreciate the opportunity to present to the committee how now, more than ever, the service PBS provides matters for our nation," PBS said in a statement.
Zoom out: The new Trump administration is on the warpath against what officials say is frivolous government spending, with Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leading the charge.
- Trump has signed executive orders freezing funding for diversity and climate change programs, and has even moved to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
- Brendan Carr, Trump's new FCC chair, is probing whether PBS and NPR — which Republicans have long accused of liberal bias — violated government rules preventing commercial advertisements by listing off government sponsors on air.
- Carr wrote in his letter announcing the investigation that Congress is "actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS" and that he does not "see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS."
The other side: "This is a complete joke on her part ... they're going to turn this into a spectacle," Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a member of the DOGE panel, said of Greene's hearing.
- "Democrats have got to be prepared for the craziness that they're going to bring but also be prepared with facts to push back," Garcia said.
- Garcia pointed to the assumption that NPR and PBS are fully funded by the government. "That's not true, we know that," he said. "These are largely ... supported by the public."
Zoom in: Greene, a staunch Trump ally, was selected to lead the Delivering on Government Efficiency panel, which is expected to try to rally public support for Trump's and Musk's efforts to take a machete to government spending.
Go deeper: The most chaotic new committee in Congress
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a comment from PBS.
