They’re in the doge house now.
Firebrand Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday demanded that NPR and PBS bigs appear before her House DOGE subcommittee to field questions about their “systemically biased content.”
The Republican congresswoman, 50, highlighted the hefty federal funding that the two alleged liberal media outlets receive and groused about their coverage of various hot-button political flashpoints.
“This kind of one-sided reporting, which attacks over half the country to protect and promote its own political interests, doesn’t deserve a single cent of American taxpayers’ money,” Greene wrote on X.
“I look forward to bringing the president of each of these so-called ‘media’ outlets before my brand-new DOGE Subcommittee to explain to me — and to the American people — why they deserve to continue receiving public funding,” she said of a planned meeting next month.
Federal funding for NPR and PBS largely goes through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is poised to receive $535 million from the government in fiscal year 2025, according to its budget.
NPR estimates that around 1% of its budget comes from the federal funding it receives from CPB and other government entities.
But in reality, the actual funding is likely larger because NPR also gets money from local radio stations that receive Uncle Sam’s backing and are often required to use a portion of their CPB funding to license public radio programs.
Some estimates peg the real amount of NPR funding coming from the feds at around 17%.
NPR signaled a willingness to comply with Greene’s demands.
“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 media outlet told The Post in a statement.
“We constantly strive to hold ourselves to the highest standards of journalism,” NPR said.
The Peach State rep took the outlet to task over its initial refusal to cover the bombshell Hunter Biden laptop story that The Post exposed in October 2020.
She recounted how NPR correspondent Uri Berliner publicly criticized the outlet over its refusal and claimed, “There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed.”
Berliner resigned last year in response to criticism he weathered from NPR CEO Katherine Maher. The ordeal triggered an outcry from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
It is not immediately apparent how much federal funding PBS receives. The CPB doles out about $397 million for TV grants and $132 million for radio.
Republicans have mused about slashing PBS and NPR funding in the past. Famously during the 2012 presidential contest, then-Republican hopeful Mitt Romney called for cutting PBS’ funds.
Greene has taken issue with the outlet’s coverage of tech baron Elon Musk’s controversial gesture during an indoor festivity at President Trump’s inauguration last month.
“Recently, PBS implied that Mr. Elon Musk made a fascist salute while addressing an inaugural celebration hours after President Donald Trump was sworn into office. The characterization was clearly false,” Green contended in her letter to the president of PBS.
She cited the Anti-Defamation League’s assessment that Musk did not intentionally make a fascist salute to back up her claim.
“This sort of bias betrays the principles of objective reporting and undermines public trust. As an organization that receives federal funds through its member stations,” Greene added.
PBS also indicated in a statement to The Post that it is willing to appear before the panel.
“PBS and our member stations are grateful to have bipartisan support in Congress, and our country,” PBS said.
“We’ve earned this support from decades of noncommercial and nonpartisan work in local communities: providing all Americans with content they trust; offering a broad range of stories and programs that help citizens understand our past and shape our future; and helping children and families open up worlds of possibilities through educational programming.
“We appreciate the opportunity to present to the committee how now, more than ever, the service PBS provides matters for our nation.”
Green pitched March 3 or March 24 as possible dates for the forthcoming hearing.
Her DOGE subcommittee, which is under the House Oversight Committee, is intended to dovetail with the Department of Government Efficiency in rooting out government bloat and waste.
