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Media Research Center President Brent Bozell published an open letter on Thursday that he sent President Trump objecting to PBS and NPR being included in the coronavirus stimulus bill.
Last week, Trump signed a more than $2 trillion legislative package to combat the coronavirus pandemic and send economic relief to workers and businesses squeezed by restrictions meant to stop the outbreak’s spread.
The legislation amounted to the costliest stimulus plan in U.S. history, including checks for most Americans, boosted unemployment aid, help for small businesses as well as a massive loan fund for corporations. It included $150 billion devoted to the health care system, $100 billion for grants to hospitals and other health care providers buckling under the strain of COVID-19 caseloads – but the head of the conservative media watchdogs group found an issue with some of the distribution.
"Dear Mr. President, As you are aware, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) received a $75 million grant from the Federal Government as a part of the CARES Act. We believe that was misguided,” Bozell wrote.
Media Research Center President Brent Bozell objects to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting receiving federal funding.
“The CARES Act is already law and the money the government issued to the CPB is unlikely to be returned. Regardless, it is worth noting what this money could have been spent on instead. Seventy-five million dollars could have purchased: 300,000 COVID-19 test kits or, 4,166 ventilators or, 21,428 hospital beds or, 192,307,692 masks or, 357,483,318 pairs of medical gloves or 12,500,000 bottles of hand sanitizer,” Bozell continued.
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“At this point in our country’s history, all of these things are infinitely better uses of taxpayer money than giving it to left-wing outlets like NPR and PBS, both of which attack you and your administration continuously,” Bozell wrote. “As with any other private entity in a free society, the CPB should have to compete in the free market to convince consumers that its programming is worth their financial support. Anything else is legalized plunder.”
Bozell then wrote that the CFB “produces programs promoting values which many Americans just don’t agree with” and the federal government is essentially “forcing Americans to support values they oppose” through funding.
“No amount of classical music, Ken Burns documentaries, or ‘Morning Editions’ is worth one saved human life,” Bozell wrote. “Ideally, CPB’s board would do the patriotic thing and voluntarily return this money. But as that is unlikely to happen, the next best thing would be to oppose such gratuitous grants when they are proposed in the future. You can count on our support and the millions of Americans who support the principles of the free market.”
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The Media Research Center president concluded his letter by writing, “Americans must pull together in a spirit of unity. Not in the spirit of division that CPB has advocated through its decades of biased programming.”
President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Patricia Harrison provided a statement to Fox News following Bozell publishing his letter.
"We are grateful for the strong bipartisan support that public media receives from Congress, especially during these challenging times. The $75 million in emergency funds will quickly help public media -- especially our small and rural stations -- preserve their ability to provide essential information, including public safety alerts, and educational programming and services to the American people,” Harrison said.
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“For example, WCTE public television in Cookeville, Tennessee is -- for some -- the only television service residents in rural Putnam County receive. Especially now, public media is their link to education for their children, to vital safety information and to resources in the community,” Harrison continued. “WCTE is just one example of the hundreds of public media stations across our country serving small towns and rural communities. With over 90 percent of Americans being told to stay at home, public media’s services are a lifeline in every state to community resources, health and safety information, and the increased education needs of our nation’s children whose schools are closed."
Fox News’ Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.
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