Trump admin moves to end taxpayer funding for PBS, NPR



The Trump administration is moving forward with its plans to cut all taxpayer funding for public broadcasting.

The New York Post reported Monday that the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, sent a memo to Congress requesting the elimination of the funding. He is also pushing to codify other budget cuts identified by the Department of Government Efficiency.

'Since day one, the Trump Administration has targeted waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal spending through executive action, DOGE review, and other efforts by departments and agencies.'

The "rescissions" plan would cut off $1.1 billion in funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. Additionally, it would axe $8.3 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Vought's memo accuses CPB of a "lengthy history of anti-conservative bias" and USAID of "waste, fraud, and abuse," the Post reported.

CBP has argued, "Public media in the United States is a highly efficient public-private partnership that delivers a strong return on the taxpayers' investment. For every public dollar provided, stations raise nearly seven dollars from donors, underscoring their value to the communities they serve."

Vought noted that NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher called Trump a "deranged racist" and a "fascist." He also highlighted two PBS programs that included trans-identifying characters.

"Since day one, the Trump Administration has targeted waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal spending through executive action, DOGE review, and other efforts by departments and agencies. Congress has expressed strong interest in supporting those efforts, and requested the Administration transmit rescissions to the Hill for swift approval," Vought wrote.

"OMB recommends the Administration respond with two proposals to cut $9.3 billion," he continued. "The first includes a rescission of $8.3 billion in wasteful foreign aid spending (out of $22 billion) that does not expire in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The second is a separate rescission of all Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — which funds the politically biased public radio and public television system."

Lawmakers have 45 days to adopt or reject the rescission plan. The White House is reportedly optimistic it will pass.

Vought stated that without the rescissions, taxpayer funds would continue to be spent on many wasteful programs, including $9.4 million for "Championing Transformative Changes in Gender Norms," $6 million for Palestinian media and civic society support, and $3 million for Iraqi "Sesame Street," to name a few.

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) proposed legislation in March that, if passed, would prevent NPR and PBS from receiving taxpayer funds.

Jackson introduced the bill, No Partisan Radio and Partisan Broadcasting Service Act, after a heated House Oversight subcommittee hearing with Maher and PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger, where lawmakers pressed them about their outlets' political bias. Both Maher and Kerger insisted their outlets were unbiased.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the subcommittee's chairwoman, asserted that the hearing proved NPR and PBS are "taxpayer-funded PR arms of the Democrat Party" and therefore "don't deserve the American people's hard-earned money."

"NPR and PBS hate President Trump, his supporters, and the majority of Americans who sent us a mandate in 2024. They can hate us on their own dime," Greene declared.

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Fed government spent eye-popping sums on furniture while many worked remotely, needed repairs stalled



The House Oversight Committee's subcommittee Delivering on Government Efficiency held a hearing on Tuesday examining how to reduce the amount of taxpayer funds going toward the "federal real estate portfolio."

The subcommittee, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), heard testimony from John Hart, the chief executive officer with Open the Books, and David Marroni, the acting director for the Government Accountability Office's Physical Infrastructure team.

'GAO found that these needs had more than doubled, from $170 billion to $370 billion between fiscal year 2017 and 2024.'

Hart revealed bombshell information in his opening statement pulled from an Open the Books investigation that found the federal government splurged $4.6 billion on furniture since fiscal year 2021. He noted that the amount was enough to purchase a "modest $500 kitchen table" for 9.2 million American families.

Hart shared more shocking figures, stating that the Department of State spent $1.4 million on artwork at embassies, including $200,000 on two paintings from "a contemporary abstract artist."

The U.S. Islamabad embassy spent $120,000 on 40 "high-end leather recliners," Hart told lawmakers.

"During the peak years of the COVID emergency, from 2020 to 2022, agencies spent $3.3 billion on furniture as work migrated to Zoom," Hart continued. "The Department of Transportation was among those least-attended agencies with 9% occupancy but still spent $55 million on furniture. The Department of Justice was among the agencies with an average of 35% attendance yet still managed to spend $408 million on furniture."

He noted that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency purchased "high-end Herman Miller furniture" for $250,000, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission managed to dish out $700,000 to furnish one conference room.

While the federal government was apparently throwing taxpayer cash at furniture upgrades, it failed to address the $370 billion in needed "fixes" and "long-term disrepair" at some facilities, Hart explained.

The massive figures shared by Hart seemed especially egregious when considering a 2024 GAO audit revealed that "more than half of federal employees were either teleworking regularly or fully remote." Additionally, the report stated that 17 of the 24 surveyed federal agencies utilized 25% or less of their headquarters facilities.

The GAO submitted testimony to the subcommittee, highlighting the federal government's "underused buildings," which it noted have cost taxpayers "millions of dollars."

"The federal government's annual maintenance and operating costs for its 277,000 buildings were about $10.3 billion in fiscal year 2023," it read. "Further, federal agencies have deferred maintenance and repairs on many buildings, creating a backlog. GAO found that these needs had more than doubled, from $170 billion to $370 billion between fiscal year 2017 and 2024."

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GOP seeks to cut off NPR, PBS from taxpayer funds: 'Radical-left propaganda'



Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) proposed legislation on Thursday to prevent National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service from receiving taxpayer funds.

Jackson announced the bill following a tense hearing with NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher and PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger.

'These taxpayer-funded PR arms of the Democrat Party don't deserve the American people's hard-earned money.'

The House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency questioned Maher and Kerger about the outlets' political bias, citing public remarks, partisan reporting, and gender ideology programming.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), DOGE subcommittee chairwoman, highlighted Maher's social media posts.

"You posted on X that 'America is addicted to white supremacy' — that's appalling. You publicly chastised using the phrases 'boy and girl,' which you said 'erases the language for nonbinary people,'" Greene told Maher.

Maher expressed regret for previously referring to President Donald Trump as a "deranged racist" and "sociopath." She also admitted that NPR "made a mistake" by ignoring the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.

During the hearing, Greene pressed Kerger about programming that featured gender ideology and a cross-dressing man.

Maher and Kerger maintained that their respective outlets were unbiased and should continue receiving taxpayer funds, but House Republicans were unconvinced.

Jackson's proposed bill, No Partisan Radio and Partisan Broadcasting Service Act, would "eliminate all federal funding" for NPR and PBS.

Jackson stated, "For decades, radical Democrats have funneled taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS under the guise of 'serving the public,' despite both organizations abandoning their founding missions to provide non-biased content and instead promoting the same radical-left propaganda as any other fake news outlet."

"If these organizations want to push partisan agendas, they do not deserve another dime of federal support," he added.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jackson accused the outlets of being "chronically biased" and "pushing Democratic talking points under the fake banner of 'public media.'"

"It's time to cut them off and stop forcing taxpayers to pay for their liberal lies!" Jackson declared.

Greene announced that she is co-sponsoring Jackson's bill.

"As my DOGE subcommittee hearing showed, these taxpayer-funded PR arms of the Democrat Party don't deserve the American people's hard-earned money. NPR and PBS hate President Trump, his supporters, and the majority of Americans who sent us a mandate in 2024. They can hate us on their own dime," Greene said.

Additional co-sponsors of the proposed bill include Republican Reps. Jodey Arrington (Texas), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Mike Collins (Ga.), Neal Dunn (Fla.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Troy Nehls (Texas), Chip Roy (Texas), Keith Self (Texas), and Randy Weber (Texas).

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GOP torches NPR, PBS for political bias amid public funding scrutiny



On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency grilled the heads of National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service about the outlets' political bias.

During the hearing, Republican lawmakers contended that NPR and PBS should no longer receive taxpayer funding for several reasons, highlighting the networks' partisan reporting, the nation's $36 trillion of debt, and the public's access to plentiful alternative news sources, eliminating the need for government-backed options.

'How much reparations have you personally paid?'

NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher came under fire for leftist comments she previously made online, including calling President Donald Trump a "deranged racist" and "sociopath."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the subcommittee's chairwoman, told Maher, "You posted on X that 'America is addicted to white supremacy' — that's appalling. You publicly chastised using the phrases 'boy and girl,' which you said 'erases the language for nonbinary people.'"

Greene reminded Maher that taxpayers who voted for Trump also contributed to the federal funds NPR receives.

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) also came prepared with receipts of Maher's far-left comments.

"Do you think that white people should pay reparations?" Gill asked.

"I have never said that, sir," Maher replied.

"Yes, you did. You said it in January of 2020. You tweeted, 'Yes, the North, yes all of us, yes America. Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day,'" Gill continued.

Maher argued that it was not a reference to financial reparations.

"I think it was just a reference to the idea that we all owe much to the people who came before us," she stated.

"That's a bizarre way to frame what you tweeted," Gill replied. "How much reparations have you personally paid?"

Maher stated she had not paid any.

"Okay. Just for everybody else?" Gills asked. "Seems to be what you're suggesting."

At one point during the hearing, Maher expressed "regret" for her comments about Trump.

"I would not tweet them again today. They represented a time where I was reflecting on something that I believed that the president had said rather than who he is. I don't presume that anyone is a racist," Maher stated.

Meanwhile, Democrats' counter-argument strategy primarily included accusing Republicans of attacking free speech and "Sesame Street."

Several subcommittee Democrats appeared less interested in participating earnestly in the hearing, instead launching into absurd and irrelevant lines of questioning about Elmo and Big Bird.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) kicked off his opening statement by accusing the subcommittee of becoming politicized. He used most of his allotted time to attack the Trump administration about the recent Signal group chat leak.

"I'm sad to see that this once-proud committee … has now stooped to the lowest levels of partisanship and political theater to hold a hearing to go after the likes of Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Arthur the Aardvark. All for the unforgivable sin of teaching the alphabet to low-income families' children and providing accessible local news and programming," Lynch stated.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) fired off an extraneous line of questioning, arguing that the public funding hearing was not "serious."

Garcia asked PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger, "The American people want to know, is Elmo now, or has he ever been, a member of the Communist Party of the United States?"

Rep. Gregorio Casar (D-Texas) engaged in similar antics, asking Heritage Foundation senior fellow Michael Gonzalez about "Sesame Street" characters.

"To your knowledge, has Miss Piggy ever been caught trying to funnel billions of dollars in government contracts to herself?" Casar asked.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) argued that pulling taxpayer funding from NPR and PBS would threaten free speech and the safety of rural Americans.

She claimed that Republican lawmakers "don't care about public safety, they don't care about emergency management, and they don't care about free speech."

Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) argued that Democratic lawmakers have "viciously and vehemently" supported the funding for NPR and PBS because the outlets have "become a propaganda wing" for the party.

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Musk, Ramaswamy meet with lawmakers to discuss the DOGE's plans to cut government waste



Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy headed to Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with lawmakers about President-elect Donald Trump's incoming Department of Government Efficiency.

While walking through the Capitol with one of his children, 4-year-old X, perched on his shoulders, Musk told reporters, "I think we should be spending the public's money wisely."

'A serious mandate from the American people.'

Musk has stated that he aims to eliminate at least $2 trillion in wasteful government spending.

On Thursday morning, Musk took a brief meeting with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) ahead of a bicameral meeting hosted by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).

Musk and Ramaswamy are slated to speak to Republican lawmakers during the event, which Johnson described as a "brainstorming session" intended to gain a clearer understanding of the DOGE's plans.

Johnson stated that he intends to discuss "major reform ideas" to "achieve regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions, and cost savings." He said he hopes to revive "the principle of limited government."

Musk previously stated that he plans to cut the total number of government agencies from 428 to 99. During an interview with Fox News, Johnson was asked whether he believes the DOGE will be able to accomplish that mission.

"We certainly hope so," Johnson responded. "We have the ingredients; we have the conditions right now to actually be able to make really dramatic change."

Ramaswamy replied to Johnson's comments, stating, "The time for action is now."

In addition to its goal to reduce three-letter agency bureaucracy, the DOGE also appears to be setting its sights on ending lenient remote work policies for federal employees. Billions in taxpayer funds have been squandered to maintain and power buildings that are either partially empty or entirely vacant.

In a Thursday post on X, Musk stated, "If you exclude security guards & maintenance personnel, the number of government workers who show up in person and do 40 hours of work a week is closer to 1%!"

"Almost no one," Musk remarked.

Johnson replied, "Unbelievable. This is EXACTLY why we need the Department of Government Efficiency."

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) declared her intent to introduce legislation that aligns with the waste reduction objectives of the DOGE.

"My DOGE Act will freeze federal hiring, begin the process to relocate agencies out of the D.C. swamp, and establish a merit-based salary system for the federal workforce," Blackburn said.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), who is slated to chair a DOGE subcommittee, said she anticipates there will be "some friction" in implementing the department's cost-cutting measures.

"But I honestly think that there's been a serious mandate from the American people, and I think that will give, hopefully our side of the aisle, tremendous courage to do the right thing," she stated.

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Another Tall Tale from Joe | 5/20/24
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Another Tall Tale from Joe | 5/20/24

DEBUNKED: Another Tall Tale from Biden
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DEBUNKED: Another Tall Tale from Biden

Massie & MTG issue ultimatum to Rep. Mike Johnson: Resign or face motion to vacate speakership!



Majorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate against Speaker Mike Johnson last month, and Thomas Massie is now joining her in her efforts to oust the speaker.

When asked by reporters whether Massie wanted Johnson to resign, he responded with a resounding “yes.”

“Yes, yeah, I asked him to resign,” Massie replied, adding that “the motion will get called” and “he’s going to lose more votes than Kevin McCarthy.”

In Johnson’s response, he claimed that the motion to vacate is “absurd” and “is not helpful to the country.”

Sara Gonzales hopes he does get ousted.

“Is it helpful that Speaker Johnson decided to bring four foreign aid and National Security bills to the floor that would fund Ukraine, Israel, Indopacific, and not include border security measures? Is that helpful for the American people?” Gonzales asks.

Eric July is in full agreement, noting that “if you are on the opposite side of Massie on anything, you are taking the wrong position.”

While July believes that representatives like Massie, Rand Paul, and Ron Paul have historically backed the real interests of the American people — there is yet to be a speaker who represents them as well.

“There’s a time to have a vote for a new speaker, or what have you, and then you get these milquetoast guys that are supposedly representing the party. I can’t quite wrap my head around that,” July says.


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Media tries to shame MTG for calling eclipse a sign from God, stays mum about Dem's belief that moon is 'mostly ... gases'



Many pundits and mainstream news outlets immediately jeered at Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) for calling Monday's total solar eclipse and other recent phenomena "strong signs" from God, but some of these same pundits and outlets stayed noticeably quiet about strange, eclipse-related comments from one of MTG's Democrat House colleagues.

On Monday, Greene, a professed Christian, wrote on social media that the eclipse many were scrambling to see was a message from God about their sinful behavior. "God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent. Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come. I pray that our country listens," Greene wrote along with a prayer emoji.

— (@)

Greene is hardly the only Christian who noticed a spiritual component to the eclipse. "Eclipses flat out PROVE the existence of God," tweeted author and occasional Blaze News contributor Eric Metaxas. "The evidence is absolutely ASTONISHING!"

"If you are worshipping the eclipse as a celebration of 'Mother Nature' or 'science,' you’re missing the point. It’s a God thing," said Red State columnist Buzz Patterson.

In other words, Greene's comments were well in keeping with mainstream Christian conservative discourse. But that fact did not stop many from making fun of her anyway:

  • "Although God was unavailable for comment (probably because he’s focused on picking winners for the NCAA Tournament), folks on social media offered their own takes on Greene’s tweet," joked a HuffPost piece on the story.
  • "Marjorie Taylor Greene's looking to the heavens for an omen ... and, it seems she's finding them in every natural phenomenon," quipped TMZ.
  • "An eclipse is not a surprise natural disaster like an earthquake. Eclipses can be calculated many centuries in advance," tweeted controversial pollster Frank Luntz, even though MTG never stated or implied that eclipses were a "surprise."
  • "Fun fact. There are about 3 solar eclipses worldwide per year, and many earthquakes. Both events were predetermined at the creation of the universe," said Adam Kinzinger. "The solar eclipse is not a sign. It’s just a really cool show, if the clouds cooperate[.]This lady is in congress?"
Greene is indeed in Congress, as is Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who also made remarks about the eclipse that were panned on social media. Lee, a Yale graduate who once sat on the congressional Science Committee and the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, told students at Booker R. Washington High School in Houston that the moon is a "planet" that is "made up mostly of gases."
She also told the students that the moon has its own "unique light and energy" that is more "manageable" for humans than that emitted by the sun. "The sun is a mighty powerful heat, but it’s almost impossible to go near the sun," she claimed.
— (@)
The moon, of course, emits no light of its own, reflecting instead the light from the sun. It is also not composed "mostly of gases." According to NASA's website, the moon's crust is made up of "lighter minerals" that "crystallized" and "floated to the surface" in the moon's "very early history."
Though Lee's comments were contrary to commonly known facts, many of those laughing at MTG said nothing about SJL. HuffPost and TMZ did not report on Lee's moon speech, and Luntz and Kinzinger said nothing about Lee on social media.
Lee later claimed she "misspoke." She has a history of similarly misspeaking, falsely asserting in 1997 that astronauts had planted an American flag on Mars and claiming in 2014 that the U.S. Constitution was "400 years" old.
Newsweek, which reported on the comments from both congresswomen, reached out to both women for comment.
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Greene Files Motion To Oust Speaker Johnson After House Passes Mega Spending Bill

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson over a $1.2 trillion bill that advances zero Republican voter priorities.