U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) spoke exclusively to The Tennessee Star’s CEO and editor-in-chief, Michael Patrick Leahy, on Wednesday about her new bill seeking to codify President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Blackburn’s FAIR Act would codify Trump’s “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media” executive order issued on May 1, which directs all federal funds issued via “grants, contracts, or other funding instruments” to NPR and PBS be identified and ceased by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Board of Directors and all executive departments and agencies.
The bill would permanently bar the CPB from both directly and indirectly funding NPR and PBS by “ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not use Federal funds for NPR and PBS.”
The heads of all agencies would also be required to identify and terminate direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS under the FAIR Act.
On Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Blackburn said codifying Trump’s executive order to bar federal funds from being allocated to NPR and PBS would simply mean the outlets would be put in a position to raise their own funding instead of receiving a government “handout.”
“The FAIR Act would move [NPR and PBS] to more of a not-for-profit model and put them in the position of raising their own funds. The president has moved forward with some defunding mechanisms around these public radio and public TV platforms, and it’s important for us to take this opportunity to help them reshape themselves,” Blackburn explained.
Regarding NPR and PBS, which have both filed lawsuits against Trump’s executive order, arguing it violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, Blackburn emphasized media outlets “are not entitled to get taxpayer money” under the Constitution.
Blackburn further pointed out the bias displayed by publications of NPR and PBS broadcasts, saying that American taxpayer funding should not be used to subsidize media that “disparages our American values.”
“We know that public media like NPR and PBS are biased. They are not in favor of conservative values. They have pushed a woke ideology, and they expect us to thank them for doing this by handing them money. NPR’s CEO is so radical, she called President Trump a fascist and a deranged racist sociopath. She also admitted during congressional testimony to botching coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop…PBS is just as bad. They have been pushing this radical leftist gender ideology by releasing a movie called ‘Real Boy’ about a transgender teen,” Blackburn said.
“By passing the FAIR Act, what we will do is shut down taxpayer funded welfare for NPR and PBS, and it would permanently ban both direct and indirect federal funding to these entities. It would ensure that each and every taxpayer is not subsidizing media that disparages our American values,” she added.
Tune in now to The Michael Patrick Leahy Show – your AMERICA FIRST news talk!
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– Read more at @TheTNStarhttps://t.co/TxB77awkyz— MichaelPatrick Leahy (@michaelpleahy) June 11, 2025
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Marsha Blackburn.
Where else can I find documentaries on scientific and American history that isn’t limiting and narrowly focused? Other than during football season, 50% of my viewing is on PBS.I believe Americans will lose a valuable source of factual source of educational knowledge. Censorship in any form is un-American and unacceptable. At least that was the view point a couple of years ago.
I far for one do not mind federal funding for NPR and PBS. I’d much rather see federal dollars being spent on these programs rather than some other federal spending. I doubt Senator Blackburn would be attacking these programs if they were very right leaning! Surely she can spend her time on more important issues!
The reason we find commercial channels so biased or corrupt, or what word do you use–is exactly because they DO sell out their air time to buyers that fund a particular message. It is useful to actually watch/listen to our public tv/radio outlets. Much of their broadcasting material is LOCAL, and that’s hard to get anywhere in the country. The national material is much more than news. Science documentaries are OUTSTANDING, entertainment (drama & comedies) are a cut above the trashy commercial material, cooking & food, free travel where you’ve never been, biographies of Americans and others, and I’m not even getting into the children’s programming which doesn’t have hidden commercial messages all through it. Watch/listen & see/hear for yourself. Marsha Blackburn could be on public TV, too, if she would only do it.
Indeed, it is not 1968 with only 3 – 4 broadcast channels,
they can sell advertising ( or donations) like all other channels and outlets in the free market.
NO MORE of our tax money !
The marketing/licensing of sesame street characters alone could fund them ..