'Sesame Street? That's how I learned to read': Jake Tapper confronts GOP lawmaker on cuts

By Matthew Chapman
Published April 30, 2025 7:18 PM ET

CNN's Jake Tapper repeatedly questioned Rep. Brendan Gill (R-TX) on Wednesday why he and his partisan colleagues want to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS. He claimed these networks promote "far-left ideologies" — but failed to name a single example of this when pressed.

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

"Well, listen, we were — I'm a member of the DOGE Subcommittee of Oversight," said Gill. "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."

https://www.rawstory.com/brandon-gill-2671874201/

Hey Gill got a question for you .................how much does it cost to take plane trip to play golf in Florida..............at lets say at the rat infested Mar a Lago...........so far its at 18 Million................ you realize s**t for brains that that is funded by taxpayer dollars............but your okay with that............. your ilk likes to tagline everything as left wing such as NPR and PBS are not funded by the government............your a jerk.......how many bills have you and your maga bunch passed................oh yeah one's that attacks SNAP, Heath care, federal employment and agencies, but your fine to take taxpayer funds to have healthcare and a salary .......resign.................