The heads of NPR and PBS were sitting on a high-strength grill at Capitol Hill on Wednesday as they tried to protect taxpayer-funded liberal press from the rage of Republicans.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger testified before the Doge subcommittee on Wednesday about alleged biased content that put the platform into GOP crosshairs. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga, Chairman of the Doge Subcommittee. invited Maher and Kerger to testify that Greene calls “blatantly ideological and partisan coverage,” and to defend the federal funds they receive on the farm.
Maher admitted that NPR lost Hunter Biden's infamous laptop coverage and expressed regret over her remarks about President Donald Trump before she ran the outlet, which was burned with bias in her organization, but Kerger's PB was “accused of being one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry.”
Both PBS and NPR are advances in left-wing ideologies like political bias and gender ideology, such as left-wing ideology such as PBS films called “Real Boy,” so according to PBS, it follows teens who protect teens with “adolescents,” “so-called” and physical and emotional impacts, according to PBS.
NPR Chief admits that he rejected rejecting Hunter Biden laptop stories
National Public Radio President and CEO Katherine Maher (L) and Public Broadcasting Services President and CEO Paula Kerger are sworn in before a hearing to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee at the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
In her opening remarks, Maher said NPR plays an important role in “providing impartial, non-partisan, fact-based reporting” to Americans. She said NPR is the only “unfueled” news outlet with a reporter dedicated to covering veteran issues, and believes local public journalism is “not as important as ever to American families.”
At one point, she claimed that she had never seen an example of political bias that determines editorial decisions, drawing a cacoon online from conservatives.
Maher said the NPR newsrooms should operate at the highest standards and it is their responsibility to serve Americans across the political spectrum. She told the subcommittee that NPR launched an initiative last year to improve the editorial review process to ensure that all content is “fair and comprehensive,” and that new editors and analysts were hired to listen to a variety of voices and issues.
“We believe that Americans voted for a transformative administration, and it is our responsibility to cover that transformation fairly with integrity and tenacity,” Maher said.
Katherine Maher, president and CEO of National Public Radio, testified at a House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing held at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on March 26, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Karger used her opening statement to argue that, from reporting on high school sports and local elections to professional farming stories, PBS is essential to Americans who rely on it for specific news.
“There's nothing more American than PBS. It's a membership organization. Our local services are at the heart of our work. Our job at PBS is to support our stations so that our local stations can serve our community.
“PBS stations offer things you don't see in commercial networks because they focus on the needs and interests of the audience they serve,” Kerger continued. “PBS stations are the only outlets that cover local events, especially in rural areas.”
The president and CEO of Public Broadcasting Services testified at a House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing held at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on March 26, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Democrats on the Doge Subcommittee have attacked Republican efforts to evoke Sesame Street and the Muppet characters and cut funding for public broadcasting.
Rep. D-Texas, member of “Squad,” Rep. Greg Casal, tried to take a shot with Trump and Doge chiefs. Elon Musk“Have you ever been arrested for trying to concentrate billions of dollars on government contracts with herself and her company?” ”
Casar suggested that Republicans would use PBS and NPR as “scapegoats” to “try to distract them from the fact that Trump and Musk are taking away workers,” but Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif, asked “now Elmo.”
D-Mass. Sen. Stephen Lynch of the group even blasted the committee, accusing the subcommittee of chasing “bird birds,” and ironically said that PBS committed the “sin” of teaching children the alphabet.
“If the shame was still something, this hearing would be shameful,” Lynch said.
Democrats evoke children's shows with PBS's odd defense.
The Democrats were in stark contrast to rhetoric from Republicans.
Greene has shone the spotlight on the report of former longtime NPR editor Uliberreiner after writing the 2024 Free Press Bomb, which details NPR's “absence of diversity in perspective,” criticised diagonal topics on important topics like Covid-19 and Hunter Biden laptop Origins, and criticised the 2024 free press bomb that criticizes the 2021 voter registration record showing the rollout of 2021 registration record. Zero Republicans.
Brandon Gill and R-Tenn from R-Texas. Rep. Tim Burchett is NPR and James Comer, R-Ky. Before running, I pressed Maher in a social media post and said that NPR wasn't “recognized” either.
“I feel like it's propaganda. Every time I listen to NPR, I feel like there's some disinformation,” Comer said.
The interest in the hearing was high as Trump himself demonstrated his willingness to block the money squiggly line to the outlet if given the opportunity.
Current NPR employees told Fox News Digital that the hearing failed to do any actual physical blows.
“Some members enjoy banging in NPR… I thought they got some hits. Personally for almost everyone,” an NPR employee told Fox News Digital.
“People who hate NPR will have a lot of evidence to pursue NPR after this,” the employee said. “But they were able to find it to this day. I don't think they'd move the needle. I think this was the hole they needed to punch.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene old NPR CEO on personal views during a fiery Doge subcommittee hearing
NPR is under tension scrutiny after calling for the acquisition of the newsroom's left-wing ideology, following a bomb essay written by former longtime NPR editor Uli Berliner. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Michael Gonzalez of the Heritage Foundation, a leading critic of public media, testified about “unforgivable political bias” that he feels is coming from PBS and NPR.
“We are essential,” Ullman said.
Many of the personal attacks came when Green told Maher it was a “platform that doesn't tell the truth” because of his previous job overseeing Wikipedia. Green then read a personal statement Maher had made on social media earlier.
Green pointed out that Maher had called Trump a “crazy racist sociopath,” and said America was “addicted to white supremacy.” I found the term For non-binary people, “boys and girls” do “erase language.”
“The federal funds your outlet receives come from all American taxpayer dollars. Please let you know that your federal funds are paid by the other half of the country, not just viewers who support these statements. The 77 million Americans who voted for President Trump.
Trump says he wants to yank funds for NPR, PBS.
Maher took over NPR in 2024 and was criticised by conservatives when her old social media posts expressing progressive views were unearthed. However, Greene said many find “pro-sensorship and anti-free speech views” rather than her politics.
“The only speech you like is the one you agree with,” Green said.
“In 2021, you called it the number one conditional challenge for American journalism, because it's becoming more difficult to crack down on bad information,” Green said.
Maher then tried to thank Green for the opportunity to talk to him, but was quickly cut off.
“Is it up to you and NPR to decide whether to crack down on bad information or the truth? Answer the questions,” Green said.
Maher said, “It's definitely not. I believe in freedom of speech very strongly.”
Chairman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Chairman of the Doge Subcommittee, R-Ga. (Doge House Subcomittee Hearing/ScreenGrab)
Maher then admitted that NPR missed Mark during the 2020 elections by not reporting the Hunter Biden laptop story seriously. At the time, representatives of NPR publicly called the story apart as indifferent and distracting.
The laptop, which sheds light on Hunter Biden's overseas business practices, the potential involvement of his father, and includes shocking videos and photos of drug use and boob acts, has finally been confirmed to be authentic.
“I want to say that NPR is acknowledging that it's wrong to fail to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively and quickly,” Maher told Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas.
She later reiterated that “we made a mistake” about not covering the laptop in another exchange with R-GA lawmakers. Maher was appointed CEO of NPR in 2024, so when the story first broke, he wasn't with the taxpayer-backed outlet.
NPR employees who spoke anonymously were fascinated to hear that Maher has acknowledged that NPR should be more proactive in what is related to laptops.
“I was hit by it,” they said.
NPR staff told Fox News Digital that a group called “Backstop” has been added to help with NPR's editorial review.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher admitted that it was a mistake to dismiss the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020. (Getty Images | New York Post)
Rep. William Timmons (Rs.C.) told Maher that she was “radical progressive” and wondered whether past liberal views came up in job interviews for the CEO position. She said no.
“I believe we need to have journalists who represent the full breadth of American society so that we can report well for all Americans,” she said.
The hearing came after Trump said he was “respected” on Tuesday, saying NPR was “very biased.” “It's the whole group, that is, their whole group.”
Greene reflected that concept during her closing remarks.
“We believe you can hate us with your own dime,” Green said as he concluded the hearing.
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Peter Pinedo of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
