WASHINGTON — A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced legislation aimed at cutting off federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR), citing alleged bias and “radical left messaging” at the taxpayer-supported media organization.
The bill, titled the “Defund NPR Act,” would prohibit federal funds from being allocated to NPR and prevent local public radio stations from using federal grants to purchase NPR content or pay dues to the organization. The bill’s sponsors argue that federal taxpayer money should not support what they describe as partisan programming.
NPR is losing money. In 2023, it was given an endowment of $342.3 million. It had $318 million in revenue with a net loss of $4.45 million.
“Taxpayer dollars should not fund NPR’s biased, left-leaning messaging,” the bill’s sponsors wrote in a statement, noting what they allege is NPR’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Eight Republican members of Congress have co-sponsored the bill, including Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), among others.
The bill’s backers point to several examples to support their claims of partisan bias. According to data they provided, NPR had 87 employees registered as Democrats and none registered as Republicans in 2021. The sponsors also criticized NPR for breaking with a longstanding tradition on July 4, 2022, when the network chose not to read the Declaration of Independence as it had done annually for 33 years. Instead, NPR aired a segment discussing Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration’s primary author, and his relationship with Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman at Jefferson’s estate.
Federal funding for NPR is primarily indirect, with the network receiving government support through grants provided to local public radio stations via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Under CPB rules, public radio stations that receive these grants are required to allocate 26 percent of the funds for production or content acquisition, which can include purchasing NPR programming.
Supporters of the “Defund NPR Act” argue that this funding model allows NPR to receive more public dollars than is directly allocated to the network, with many stations using CPB grants to acquire NPR content. “The current funding structure forces taxpayers to support NPR, regardless of their views on its content,” the sponsors contend.
The bill has received support from conservative groups, including the Family Research Council, which has previously advocated for reducing federal funding to organizations it views as promoting progressive agendas.
NPR has not issued a statement in response to the proposed legislation. The “Defund NPR Act” faces uncertain prospects in a divided Congress, where Democratic lawmakers are likely to oppose efforts to cut funding for public media.
