Defunding NPR and PBS ‘finally’ within reach, says House Republican

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, is celebrating President Donald Trump’s leadership in sending a DOGE cuts package to Congress that he believes will “finally” defund NPR and PBS, which he said have become “nothing more than fake news.”

Jackson claimed the outlets, which receive millions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding, “have become taxpayer-funded propaganda arms of the radical Left.”

The White House is expected to include cuts to both NPR and PBS in the $9.4 billion federal spending cut proposal – called a “rescissions” package – it is sending to Congress on Tuesday.  

It is the latest move by Republican officials to make good on promises to slash government spending, a project spearheaded by the president and the Department of Government Efficiency.

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Rep. Ronny Jackson is celebrating a DOGE cuts package that he believes will “finally” defund NPR and PBS, which he said have become “nothing more than fake news.”

An official from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told Fox News Digital last week that it will primarily target federal funding to NPR, PBS and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Once transmitted to Capitol Hill, lawmakers have 45 days to take up the rescissions package before it’s voided. Among the package’s strongest supporters is the House Freedom Caucus, which is demanding the House vote on the package the same week it lands.

Jackson, who has introduced a bill to defund NPR and PBS in every Congress since he was elected, told Fox News Digital that he strongly supports the rescissions package, which he said is fully in line with his long-standing efforts to defund what he has previously called the “chronically biased” media outlets.

The congressman said he is “excited” to codify the DOGE package that “finally cuts off their funding.”

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The House Freedom Caucus is pushing for a swift vote on the White House’s rescissions package. (Getty Images)

“Since being elected to Congress, I’ve led the charge to defund NPR and PBS, which have become taxpayer-funded propaganda arms of the radical Left. They are now nothing more than another fake news media outlet,” said Jackson.   

He added that under Trump’s leadership, Congress will deliver on “ending the outrageous practice of forcing hardworking Americans to pay for left-wing attacks on our values, our children, and our president.” 

This follows a high-intensity House DOGE Subcommittee hearing in March in which NPR’s Katherine Maher and PBS’ Paula Kerger attempted to explain why their outlets still deserve public funding.

During the hearing, Maher conceded that NPR botched coverage of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop, saying, “We made a mistake.” At the time, NPR representatives publicly called the story unserious and a distraction. During the hearing, Maher said, “We were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively and sooner.”

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President and CEO of National Public Radio Katherine Maher testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

She also expressed regret about remarks she made about President Donald Trump, calling him “a fascist and a deranged racist sociopath.”  

Meanwhile, Kerger’s PBS was slammed for producing such programs as “Real Boy,” which follows a transgender character exploring sexuality.

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Following the NPR and PBS leaders’ testimonies, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called the outlets “out of touch with everyday Americans,” saying: “I think from what we have heard here today, the American people will not continue to allow such propaganda to be funded through the federal government with their hard-earned tax dollars.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.