WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill to stop funding National Public Radio and the PBS Newshour might seem like a slam-dunk to pass a Republican-controlled Congress.
Cutting money for all government-funded media would seem to sense in deep-red states like Wyoming.
But it's not so simple, says U.S. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, who was noncommittal about the bill.
The bill — sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, and on the House side by U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pennsylvania — would cut all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
Though the measure takes aim at news funded by the CPB, some Republicans are worried about the side effects of the legislation, which is called the No Propaganda Act.
A total federal funding cut would kneecap more than the left-sided news. With a mix of tax money and private donations, the CPB helps pay for local programs like “Main Street Wyoming” and national shows like “Antiques Roadshow.” Public broadcasters also issue emergency alerts.
Barrasso Weighs In
“The American people expect publicly funded television and radio programming to present straightforward, factual news and content that is free of political bias,” Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily.
But he said Wyomingites Ruby Calvert and Diana Enzi do good work associated with the CPB.
Calvert chairs the CPB Board of Directors. Her long career at Wyoming PBS included helping launch “Main Street Wyoming” in 1990. She ascended to general manager at Wyoming PBS, retiring in 2015.
Enzi, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, is a member of America’s Public Television Stations, a nonprofit group that advocates for public broadcasting. She is a trustee of Wyoming PBS.
“All expenditures, including funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, should be carefully scrutinized to ensure taxpayers are getting real value for their hard-earned money,” Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily. “Wyoming is grateful to have Ruby Calvert, chair of the CPB, and Diana Enzi at Wyoming PBS supporting the mission and being stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
The CPB was created by the federal government in 1967 and receives $525 million a year in federal money, according to its website. Most of that money flows to public TV and radio stations coast to coast along with national PBS and NPR programming, though the CPB says it does not have a say in news content.
The funds go to digital platforms as well as traditional, over-the-air broadcasting operations.
Taking Aim
Kennedy, the Louisianan sponsoring the No Propaganda Act in the Senate, took to the chamber’s floor Tuesday to make his case.
Kennedy said a wealth of digital media technologies has largely negated the importance of public broadcasting. Moreover, while saying he fully supports free speech, Kennedy said no news should funded by taxpayers.
“We don’t subsidize CNN … we don’t subsidize Fox News,” he said.
In his Senate speech, Kennedy displayed a list of headlines from NPR’s website that he chided as examples of left-leaning bias.
Those headlines include:
• “Arguments that trans athletes have an unfair advantage lack evidence to support”
• “A brief history of how racism shaped Interstate highways”
• “Is Trump’s call for ‘law and order’ a coded racial message?”
• “Sexism is out in the open in the 2016 campaign. That may have been inevitable.”
“They’re very, very biased in their reporting. We all know that,” Kennedy said.
Joe Jackson, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, said she is reviewing the Kennedy legislation.
A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, did not reply to an email inquiry.
The No Propaganda Act was introduced in the previous term of Congress and died in committee.
Sean Barry can be reached at: Sean@CowboyStateDaily.com
