Democrats Use Sarcasm to Defend NPR, PBS

Top executives from NPR and PBS sought to defend their organizations during a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday spearheaded by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The congresswoman described the organizations as "radical left echo chambers" with "communist" programming, while the execs and Democratic defenders maintained they play an important role in keeping people informed, including in weather emergencies in rural areas. Among the moments:

• Threat: "After listening to what we've heard, today, we will be calling for the complete and total defund and dismantling of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," said Taylor Greene, per CNN.

• Mea culpa: At one point, NPR CEO Katherine Maher acknowledged that her organization underplayed the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 campaign. "Our current editorial leadership thinks that was a mistake, as do I," she said, per the New York Times.
• Sarcasm: Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia asked PBS President Paula Kerger, "Is Elmo now or has he ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States?" per Fox News. "Well, he is a puppet," she replied. "But no." Garcia also asked if Bert and Ernie were part of an "extreme homosexual agenda" and whether the Cookie Monster was "silencing pro-cookie voters."
• New target? Democratic Rep. Greg Casar spoke in front of a sign reading, "Fire Elon, Save Elmo," referring to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. "Has Miss Piggy ever been caught trying to funnel billions of dollars in government contracts to herself and to her companies?" he asked.
• The money: NPR and PBS receive money from the CPB, which itself received $535 million from the government for fiscal 2025, per the Washington Post. The money makes up about 1% of NPR's budget and 15% of PBS' budget, with more going to individual member stations.

(More NPR stories.)