Lafayette Reporter

Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana recently addressed the Senate floor, expressing his views on federal funding for public broadcasting. He argued against the continued use of taxpayer money to support the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which includes PBS and NPR.

Kennedy questioned the necessity of such funding in today's media landscape, stating, "It might have made sense many, many, many years ago for the federal government to subsidize and fund public broadcasting. Fifty years ago, that might have made sense, but the ability of the American people today to access whatever news they would like to hear from whatever form of media they choose is no longer limited."

He further challenged Congress's allocation of resources by asking, "If all this is true, if media has changed and it is accessible to everyone, why is the U.S. Congress still spending half a billion dollars a year—not half a million a year—half a billion dollars a year to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting? It makes no sense."

Kennedy emphasized that other media outlets do not receive similar funding: "Congress does not send taxpayer money to the most popular podcast host in America. We don’t. The anchors on Fox News, the anchors on CNN, the anchors on MSNBC, nor their stations—they don’t get any taxpayer dollars."

He concluded by referencing efforts under former President Trump's administration: "President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency is looking for fat to trim, Mr. President. As far as I am concerned, this gravy train—this gravy train with biscuit wheels called the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—is the perfect example of a project the American people no longer need and should not fund."