Left-wing, taxpayer-funded NPR recently purchased a ‘$201 million office space’ and ‘pays its Chief Diversity Officer about $320,000 a year,’ according to Sen. John Kennedy, who called NPR and PBS ‘Big Brother’s propaganda.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) -- Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana proposed legislation that would defund taxpayer-supported leftist media outlets, addressing what has long been a sore spot for conservatives and libertarians.
“NPR and PBS are entitled to do opinion journalism — but they can’t do it on the taxpayers’ dime,” said Kennedy, speaking from the floor of the U.S. Senate.
Kennedy has called NPR and PBS “Big Brother’s propaganda outlet(s)” that feed the American public “chronically biased content.”
“My No Propaganda Act would make sure Americans aren’t funding this rot,” he added.
Over the years, Congress has appropriated more than $15 billion to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which it allocates to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Kennedy explained that those entities continue to receive about a half billion dollars per year, thanks to Congress’ misplaced largess.
General Mike Flynn offered enthusiastic support for Kennedy’s effort to end taxpayer funding of leftist propaganda.
“This is a no-brainer,” Flynn said on X. “Must happen.”
“We can no longer have U.S. taxpayer dollars going to left wing propaganda outlets,” Flynn said. “Have you ever been to NPR HQ? It is the Taj Mahal of media headquarters.”
“SHUT IT (AND PBS) DOWN!!!” urged Flynn in all caps.
Elon Musk, the driving force behind the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that is charged with ridding the federal government of wasteful spending and fraud, added his voice to the discussion, saying just one word: “Great.”
Kennedy went on to describe how taxpayer funding has allowed PBS and NPR to spend lavishly on their facilities and employee salaries.
“The folks at PBS and NPR are doing pretty well for themselves. NPR just bought a $201 million office space just up the road from the Capitol,” Kennedy said.
“NPR pays its Chief Diversity Officer about $320,000 a year” and pays “its hosts as much as $532,000 a year,” said Kennedy, emphasizing again that their exorbitant salaries are paid with “taxpayer money.”
“Despite all of this money that American taxpayers are giving to these left of center entities, their viewership has declined because people don’t need them anymore. So why are we giving them money?” he asked.
“We’re running a $36 trillion debt,” the senator said. “It is disgraceful for the American people to have to fund this rot."
According to a separate statement from Kennedy, in April 2024, a whistleblower exposed NPR’s decision to not broadcast the Hunter Biden laptop scandal because NPR believed covering the story would help then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during the 2020 election cycle.
And in 2020, reports also revealed that PBS had used taxpayer dollars to partner with a Chinese Communist Party-controlled media outlet, CGTN, to produce a pro-Beijing film.
“The American Taxpayer is footing the bill for a woke media corporation that pretends to be impartial while pushing Chinese propaganda,” declared Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who introduced the companion No Propaganda Act in the House of Representatives.
“CPB cannot be allowed to keep using your hard-earned tax dollars to push a biased and political agenda that goes against what’s best for Americans,” Perry said.
