The CEOs of the nation's largest public broadcasters, Katherine Maher of NPR and Paula Kerger of PBS, will appear before the House DOGE subcommittee on Wednesday, March 26 at 10 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. MT.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, the chairwoman of the subcommittee has accused both organizations of bias in their news coverage. She said her hearing "will assess whether the American taxpayer should continue to subsidize NPR and PBS."
In addition to the hearing, the chairman of the Federal Communication Commission previously sent a letter to the broadcasters saying he was opening an investigation into "underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements." Chicago-based WBEZ confirmed they are a target of the investigation.
In his letter, Chairman Brendan Carr said he doesn't see a reason why Congress should continue to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He's not alone.
Speaking from the White House Cabinet Room the day before the hearing, President Donald Trump said he would “love” to strip PBS and NPR of any federal funding.
Trump told reporters that he thinks both outlets are “very unfair” and “very biased.”
Looking at the assembly of reporters around him, Trump said, “Right now, there’s plenty of coverage,” stressing that the two outlets that also depend on donations were “from a different age.”
“It’s a waste of money,” Trump said of PBS and NPR.
Read more from NPR: Republican lawmakers seek to put PBS and NPR in the hot seat