On Wednesday, a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee on the Provision of Government Efficiency grilled heads of national public radio and public broadcasting services on the political bias of stores.
Between HearingRepublican lawmakers argued that the NPR and PBS should not receive taxpayer funds for several reasons, highlighting the network's partisan report, the country's $36 trillion debt, and public access to alternative news sources in the public, and eliminate the need for government-supported options.
“How much compensation did you personally pay?”
NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher has been attacked with left-wing comments he previously made online, including calling President Donald Trump a “crazy racist” and “sociopath.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), chair of the subcommittee; I said Maher, “You posted on x.”America is addicted to white supremacy' – That's scary. You were publicly punished using the phrase “boys and girls” you said.Erase language of non-binary people. '”
Green reminded Merhell that taxpayers who voted for Trump also contributed to the federal funds that NPR receives.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) was also prepared with a receipt for Maher's far left comment.
“Do you think white people should pay compensation?” Gill asked.
“I've never said that, sensei,” replied Maher.
“Yes, you did. You said that in January 2020. You Tweet“Yes, North, yes, we all, yes America. Yes, our former group sins and unpaid debts. Yes, compensation. Yes, this day,” continued Gill.
Maher argued that it was not a reference to financial compensation.
“I think it was just a reference to the idea that we all owe a lot to those who came before us,” she said.
“It's a strange way to frame what you tweet,” replied Gill. “How much compensation did you personally pay?”
Maher said she hadn't paid anything.
“Okay, just for everyone else?” Gill asked. “It seems like something you're proposing.”
At one point during the hearing, Maher expressed his “remorse” over his comments about Trump.
“I will never tweet them again today. They represented a time when the president was looking back at something I believed he said, not who he was.
Meanwhile, Democrats' rebuttal strategies mainly included accusing Republicans of attacking free speech and “Sesame Street.”
Democrats on several subcommittee were less interested in taking part in the hearing seriously and instead launched a line of ridiculous, unrelated questions about Elmo and the Big Bird.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) began his opening statement by accusing the subcommittee of being politicized. He used most of his allotted time to attack the Trump administration over a recent signal group chat leak.
“It is sad to see this once proud committee leaning down into the lowest level of partisanship and political theatre to hold a hearing to chase Elmo, Cookie Monster, Arthur and others.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif) fired a series of lines of questions, claiming that the public funding hearing was not “serious.”
Garcia asked Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. “Americans want to know, is Elmo just a member of the Communist Party of America?” he asked.
Rep. Gregorio Casal (D-Texas) engaged in a similar antics and asked Michael Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, about the character in “Sesame Street.”
“As far as you know, has Miss Piggy ever tried to leak billions of dollars to himself in a government contract?” asked Casar.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) argued that withdrawing taxpayer funds from the NPR and PBS would pose a threat to free speech and the safety of rural Americans.
She argued that Republican lawmakers “don't care about public safety, don't care about emergency management, don't care about freedom of speech.”
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) argued that Democrats are “bad and fierce” support for NPR and PBS funding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de5tlfypzgs
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