The GOP is fighting tooth and nail to hold the radical Left responsible for their actions. They aren’t letting them get away with anything.
And a group of House Republicans just left these top Leftists speechless during a high-stakes hearing.
On a tense Wednesday in Washington, the leaders of NPR and PBS found themselves in the hot seat, squaring off against Republican lawmakers determined to challenge the taxpayer-supported news outlets. Katherine Maher, NPR’s CEO, and Paula Kerger, her PBS counterpart, appeared before the DOGE subcommittee to answer for what critics call a pattern of slanted reporting. The hearing, chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), erupted into a partisan slugfest, with the GOP targeting what Greene labeled “blatantly ideological and partisan coverage” and questioning the federal dollars keeping these outlets afloat.
Maher didn’t shy away from admitting past missteps. She owned up to NPR’s mishandling of the Hunter Biden laptop story, calling it a mistake the network should have tackled “more aggressively and sooner.” She also faced tough questions about her own past statements—like calling President Donald Trump a “deranged, racist sociopath”—and weathered accusations of bias baked into NPR’s DNA.
Meanwhile, Kerger’s PBS took heat for allegedly pushing progressive agendas, with Greene slamming the network as “one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry,” pointing to projects like the film Real Boy. That PBS production, per its own description, tracks a transgender teen navigating “adolescence, sobriety, and physical and emotional ramifications of his changing gender identity.”
In her opening salvo, Maher painted NPR as a cornerstone of trustworthy journalism, arguing it delivers “unbiased, nonpartisan, fact-based reporting” to a nation in need. She touted NPR’s unique role as a free-access news source, spotlighting its dedicated veterans’ issues reporter and the value of local journalism. It “has never been more important to American families,” she insisted. Yet her claim of never witnessing “any instance of political bias determining editorial decisions” sparked eye-rolls and outrage from conservative corners online.
Maher doubled down, stressing NPR’s duty to reflect all American perspectives. She highlighted a 2024 initiative to tighten editorial oversight, bringing in fresh editors and analysts to amplify diverse voices. “I believe Americans voted for a transformative administration, and it is our responsibility to cover that transformation fairly with integrity and tenacity,” she told the panel.
Kerger, meanwhile, leaned into PBS’s grassroots appeal. She framed it as a lifeline for communities often ignored by commercial media, delivering everything from high school sports recaps to farm-focused features. “There’s nothing more American than PBS,” she declared. “It’s a membership organization. Our local service is at the heart of our work.” For nearly six decades, she argued, PBS has harnessed public airwaves to “educate, engage, and inspire” viewers—especially in rural areas where local event coverage is scarce.
Democrats on the subcommittee swung back with theatrical flair, wielding Sesame Street and Muppet references to mock GOP funding cuts. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) jabbed at Trump and DOGE head Elon Musk, quipping, “Has Miss Piggy ever been caught trying to funnel billions of dollars in government contracts to herself and to her companies?”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said, “Is Elmo now or has he ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States?” And Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) called the hearing a farce, accusing Republicans of targeting “Big Bird” for the crime of teaching kids their ABCs. “If shame was still a thing, this hearing would be shameful,” he snapped.
Republicans, undeterred, brought receipts. Greene leaned on a 2024 exposé by ex-NPR editor Uri Berliner, who’d blasted the network’s “absence of viewpoint diversity” in a Free Press piece. Berliner had flagged NPR’s skewed takes on COVID-19 origins and the Hunter Biden laptop saga, even uncovering a 2021 voter registration tally showing 87 Democrats—and zero Republicans—in NPR’s Washington newsroom.
Reps. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) hammered Maher over her pre-NPR social media posts, while Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) lamented that he no longer recognizes NPR. “I feel like it’s propaganda. I feel like there’s disinformation every time I listen to NPR,” he added.
The stakes loomed large, with Trump himself hinting he’d relish slashing their budgets. An NPR staffer, speaking anonymously to Fox News Digital, shrugged off the hearing’s impact. “Some members enjoy taking a whack at NPR,” they said, acknowledging hits landed—mostly on Maher personally—but doubting it shifted the dial. “People who hate NPR will have plenty of ammo after this.”
The Heritage Foundation’s Michael Gonzalez testified too, decrying the “unforgivable political bias” he sees in both outlets, while Alaska Public Media’s Ed Ulman vouched for their necessity. “We are essential,” he stated.
Greene saved her sharpest barbs for Maher, dredging up her Wikipedia days and old tweets—like one calling America “addicted to White supremacy” and another deeming “boy and girl” terms that erase non-binary identities.
“The federal funding your outlet receives comes from all American taxpayer dollars,” Greene fumed, “Not just from your viewers who support such statements as these. Let me inform you that your federal funding is also paid for by the other half of the country. The 77 million Americans who voted for President Trump. Someone you called a deranged, racist sociopath.”
She also pressed Maher on a 2021 remark labeling the First Amendment a journalism “challenge” for complicating crackdowns on “bad information.”
“Is it up to you and NPR to crack down on bad information or decide the truth? Answer the question,” Greene demanded. Maher fired back, “Absolutely not. I am a very strong believer in free speech.”
The hearing closed with Greene’s parting shot: “We believe that you can hate us on your own dime.”
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
