CNN’s host of The Lead, Jake Tapper, tried to shame GOP Rep. Brandon Gill on Wednesday for trying to defund PBS and NPR by claiming, “PBS really helps little kids,” citing himself learning how to read by watching Sesame Street as an example. However, Tapper’s days in school were not complete as Gill informed him that the real issue is PBS’s “left-wing propaganda,” whether that be in its newsrooms or on Tapper’s beloved children’s programming.

Towards the end of their interview, Tapper wondered why Gill thinks PBS is such a big deal, “Speaker Johnson has said he would additionally like to cut funding for public broadcasting, PBS, which does receive some support from the federal government. I just -- it's interesting. I just have to say, on a personal level, I learned to read by watching Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and The Electric Company. That's literally how I learned to read as a kid. Why do you not think PBS is important?”

 

 

Gill answered the question in two ways. First, he stood up for the basic principle that the government should not be funding media outlets, “One of those that we found, which Republicans and conservatives have talked about for decades, is state-sponsored media in the United States. China and North Korea have state-sponsored media. The United States does not need state-sponsored media. Listen, if Fox News or any other conservative news organization came to me and asked for taxpayer money, I would tell them no.”

Second, Gill brought the attention back to the actual news organization, “I certainly don't think we should be funding left-wing propaganda outlets, like NPR or PBS. I had a hearing just a couple weeks ago where I got to question the head of NPR and asked her about some of the wild, outrageous things that she had been posting on the internet for the whole world to see, and she had no answer for that. The American people are sick of funding institutions who promote values that they find repugnant, and that's what we're doing with NPR and PBS.”

Tapper wasn’t convinced, “Okay. But Sesame Street, I mean, Daniel the Tiger, Wild Kratts, I mean, you have little kids, I know, and I'm sure you, you and your wife can bring them great educational programming. But a lot of kids might not have access to cable, and I didn't when I was little because cable didn't exist. But I mean, PBS really helps little kids. I mean, I'm talking specifically about kids learning how to read through Sesame Street in similar programming.”

Of course, Tapper undermined his own argument by illustrating how the media has changed since he was a child, but Gill also informed him Sesame Street isn’t purely a PBS property anymore, “Well, they've already spun off Sesame Street to HBO [Max], so that's not with PBS anymore.”

It should be said that in December, Max announced it would no longer be producing new episodes of the series following the conclusion of its current season, but the point is that Sesame Street could still get picked up by another private entity such as Apple TV+, Amazon, or Netflix. Currently, one can watch Sesame Street on Max for $10 per month nine months before it airs on PBS.

Gill continued, “But what I don't think the government should be doing is funding these institutions that are radically left-wing and are oftentimes even in their cartoon shows, geared towards young children, promoting far-left ideologies that are not teaching children how to read but are teaching them the trans agenda and other things that large portions of our country do not agree with. Our tax dollars should not be funding institutions and ideologies that are promoting values that many people, including the people of Texas 26, that I represent, find repulsive.”

Between the amount of money it makes from potential streaming partners, its presence at theme parks, and merchandise, Sesame Street will survive. The question for Tapper is why should half of America be forced to subsidize a media organization that acts like it is part of the opposition?

Sign the petition to help us defund another CNN in PBS and NPR at defundpbsnpr.org.

Here is a transcript for the April 30 show:

CNN The Lead with Jake Tapper

4/30/2025

6:10 PM ET

JAKE TAPPER: Speaker Johnson has said he would additionally like to cut funding for public broadcasting, PBS, which does receive some support from the federal government. I just -- it's interesting. I just have to say, on a personal level, I learned to read by watching Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and The Electric Company. That's literally how I learned to read as a kid. Why do you not think PBS is important?

BRANDON GILL: Well, listen, we were -- I'm a member of the DOGE Subcommittee of Oversight. We were tasked with finding waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and highlighting it. And one of those that we found, which Republicans and conservatives have talked about for decades, is state-sponsored media in the United States. China and North Korea have state-sponsored media. The United States does not need state-sponsored media.

Listen, if Fox News or any other conservative news organization came to me and asked for taxpayer money, I would tell them no. And I certainly don't think we should be funding left-wing propaganda outlets, like NPR or PBS. I had a hearing just a couple weeks ago where I got to question the head of NPR and asked her about some of the wild, outrageous things that she had been posting on the internet for the whole world to see, and she had no answer for that.

The American people are sick of funding institutions who promote values that they find repugnant, and that's what we're doing with NPR and PBS. And that's what we are hopefully soon, via a rescission bill, going to pull those funds back.

TAPPER: Okay. But Sesame Street, I mean, Daniel the Tiger, Wild Kratts, I mean, you have little kids, I know, and I'm sure you, you and your wife can bring them great educational programming. But a lot of kids might not have access to cable, and I didn't when I was little because cable didn't exist. But I mean, PBS really helps little kids. I mean, I'm talking specifically about kids learning how to read through Sesame Street in similar programming.

GILL: Well, they've already spun off Sesame Street to HBO, so that's not with PBS anymore. But what I don't think the government should be doing is funding these institutions that are radically left-wing and are oftentimes even in their cartoon shows, geared towards young children, promoting far-left ideologies that are not teaching children how to read but are teaching them the trans agenda and other things that large portions of our country do not agree with. Our tax dollars should not be funding institutions and ideologies that are promoting values that many people, including the people of Texas 26, that I represent, find repulsive.

TAPPER: All right. Congressman Brandon Gill, thanks so much. Good to see you, sir.