Kennedy Proposes No Propaganda Act to End Taxpayer Funding of Partisan Broadcasting Network

A Republican senator has introduced legislation that would halt federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), citing concerns over political bias in public media outlets, particularly National Public Radio.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, unveiled the No Propaganda Act as a companion bill to similar legislation previously introduced in the House by Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting should not be funneling Louisianians’ hard-earned tax dollars to outlets with one-sided coverage that clearly aim to promote a leftist political agenda,” Kennedy said in a statement. “The No Propaganda Act would make sure that Americans aren’t footing the bill for biased, government media.”

The proposed legislation comes amid increasing scrutiny of public broadcasting from conservative lawmakers. Since its establishment in 1969, the CPB has received more than $15 billion in federal appropriations, which it distributes to NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

While the CPB defines its mission as educating, informing, fostering curiosity, and promoting civil discourse essential to American society, critics have questioned whether public media outlets maintain political neutrality.

Representative Perry emphasized his concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars: “The American Taxpayer continues to provide handouts through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to media outlets that have actively pushed Chinese propaganda and have prioritized fighting disinformation over free speech. CPB must be defunded to end the stream of taxpayer funds to biased, anti-American public radio and television stations.”

The bill’s sponsors point to specific incidents they believe demonstrate political bias. In April, a whistleblower allegedly revealed that NPR deliberately chose not to cover the Hunter Biden laptop controversy during the 2020 presidential election cycle, believing such coverage would benefit then-candidate Donald Trump.

Additionally, the lawmakers referenced reports from 2020 claiming PBS partnered with CGTN, a Chinese state-controlled media outlet, to produce content they describe as “pro-Beijing.”

This legislation represents the latest chapter in a long-running debate about public broadcasting in America. Public media advocates have historically defended federal funding as crucial for providing educational content and journalism that might not otherwise be commercially viable, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Critics, however, have questioned the need for taxpayer funding in an era of abundant media choices and have periodically raised concerns about perceived political leanings in programming decisions.

The CPB’s annual appropriation, which totals approximately $465 million, represents a small fraction of the federal budget but has symbolic importance in debates about government’s role in media. Most of this funding flows through to local public television and radio stations across the country, which typically raise the majority of their operating budgets from private sources, including listener donations, corporate underwriting, and foundation grants.

If enacted, the No Propaganda Act would represent the most significant change to public broadcasting’s funding structure since its inception more than five decades ago. However, with a divided Congress and competing legislative priorities, the bill’s prospects remain uncertain.

Media analysts note that debates over public broadcasting funding have become increasingly partisan in recent years, reflecting broader polarization in American politics and media consumption habits.