[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 16, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H3331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PBS AND NPR TELL THE TRUTH

  (Mr. BELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  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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