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Pbs and Npr Tell the Truth

Floor Speech

Date: July 16, 2025
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. BELL. Mr. Speaker, let's be honest about what this is. The administration didn't try to cut PBS and NPR because of the budget. They went after them because public media doesn't play along with the never-ending lies. PBS and NPR tell the truth, and for some people that is threatening.

A free press isn't supposed to flatter those in charge. Trust me, I know. It is supposed to challenge them. That is what makes democracy possible. The cowardice it takes to go along with these cuts is shameful.

The President said it himself. He demanded Republicans defund NPR and PBS because they dared to fact check him. Now my colleagues are falling in line, even though they know their communities depend on these stations for everything from weather alerts to kids' programming. That is not strength. That is fear.

In St. Louis and across the country, folks rely on public media. We should be investing in that, not gutting it.

P.S.: Release the Epstein files.

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