Use of Taxpayer Funds Should Reflect Will of the People

A House DOGE subcommittee put a magnifying glass to NPR and PBS, funded in part with federal tax dollars through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The most recent budget shows that the two left-leaning media outlets rake in just shy of $550 million a year from taxpayers.

DOGE's triad is waste, fraud, and abuse. An obvious issue lawmakers are debating in this age of multimedia — and our unprecedented $36 trillion of national debt — is whether the government's funding of these broadcasts is a waste of taxpayer dollars. That's a legitimate question.

Add to that concern the abuse of left-leaning viewpoints, like NPR's promotion of genderqueer dinosaur enthusiasts and the fact that there isn't a single identified Republican working at NPR at the national level, and you can understand the growing concerns about the abuse of taxpayer dollars.

In addition to direct funding, NPR and PBS also enjoy various federal carve-outs that give them competitive advantages over other news providers. Many believe the government should keep its thumb off the First Amendment's scale and force NPR and PBS to stand on their own — free of federal subsidies.

Yet, the starkest example of waste, fraud, and abuse may be found in the abortion industry — particularly at Planned Parenthood, which surpasses NPR and PBS in the scope of public funding and controversy.

Let's Talk about Waste:

• After the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Planned Parenthood reportedly raised nearly $500 million. Instead of using that money for health care services at their clinics, which the group claims is their priority, much of it went toward the organization's political and legal interests.
• Meanwhile, $699 million in taxpayer funds supported their clinics, where patient numbers have been steadily declining even as abortion procedures have risen.
• According to The New York Times, Planned Parenthood has spent millions on CEO salaries, such as their national president, Alexis Johnson, whose annual salary in 2023 was $904,000. At the same time, very little funding was allocated to staff training — leading to incidents such as botched IUD placements and abortions.
• I'm not alone in insisting that taxpayers shouldn't be bankrolling the million-dollar salary of the CEO who heads the nation's largest baby-killing operation. Even after the abortion lobby spent hundreds of millions of dollars after Roe fell, 60% of Americans still oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.

Let's Talk Fraud:

• Planned Parenthood has repeatedly faced allegations of trafficking fetal tissue — “baby body parts” — for profit.
• There are also multiple reports suggesting Planned Parenthood has covered up criminal behavior and sexual abuse involving the very women it claims to serve.

Abuse?

• The organization is increasingly pivoting toward so-called “gender-affirming” hormone therapy, including for minors — something many states are trying to prevent for their young residents.
• Ultimately, it's an abuse of taxpayer dollars to subsidize an entity involved in taking the lives of 400,000 unborn Americans.

Here is the bottom line: Our leaders should foster true neutrality in public funding and respect the will of citizens who object to financing controversial practices. It's time to end all government funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood that are killing America's opportunity to be great again.

Tony Perkins is president of Family Research Council, and executive editor of The Washington Stand. He previously chaired the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Tony is the host of a nationally syndicated program, "Washington Watch with Tony Perkins." He is a pastor, Marine veteran, and former police officer. Read Tony Perkins Reports — More Here.