Trump Calls for Congress to Defund NPR, PBS

President Donald Trump called on Congress to stop giving taxpayer money to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

"NPR and PBS, two horrible and completely biased platforms (Networks!), should be DEFUNDED by Congress, IMMEDIATELY. Republicans, don't miss this opportunity to rid our Country of this giant SCAM, both being arms of the Radical Left Democrat Party. JUST SAY NO AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!," Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.

Trump asked Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr to open an investigation to determine if NPR or PBS violated federal law by airing commercials.

The heads of the two media outlets on Wednesday faced intense questioning from Republican members of Congress over the alleged liberal bias in their reporting and content.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., scolded the executives saying, "NPR and PBS have increasingly become radical left-wing echo chambers for a narrow audience of mostly wealthy, white urban liberals and progressives who generally look down on and judge rural America."

Greene added: "We believe that you all can hate us on your own dime."

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., this month introduced legislation to end federal funding for NPR and PBS. About 1% of NPR is federally funded according to the outlet while about 16% of PBS comes from tax dollars, equating to about $500 million.

Republicans have long threatened to strip funding for NPR and PBS but have never acted.

Nearly twice as many Americans support the continued federal funding of public media outlets as oppose it, according to a survey released Wednesday from Pew Research.

While not a majority, 43% of those surveyed said the federal government should continue to fund NPR and PBS at present levels, and 24% said the government should stop funding the outlets; 33% said they weren't sure.

Broken down by party, 32% of Democrats said they regularly get their news from NPR, compared with only 9% of Republicans; 31% of Democrats and 11% of Republicans said they regularly watch PBS.

• Comer to Newsmax: NPR, PBS Don't Deserve Federal Funds
• Alford: NPR, PBS Have Gone 'Way Far to the Left'