I write today with deep gratitude and pride — because after years of relentless effort, a major victory for American taxpayers and conservative values has finally been secured.
President Trump’s rescission package — cutting $1.1 billion from PBS and NPR — has officially passed. It’s a landmark victory for accountability, and it belongs to you as much as it does to us.
For nearly four decades, the Media Research Center has been the tip of the spear in exposing the bias — now open activism — of so-called “public” broadcasting. PBS and NPR were chartered to provide objective journalism. Instead, we got drag shows for kids, gushing coverage of Democrats, and silence or smears for conservatives. The MRC made it our mission to hold them accountable — or end their taxpayer gravy train. Today, that mission has turned into measurable results.
We’re especially grateful to President Donald J. Trump for honoring his longstanding promise to defund public broadcasting and for making this a priority in his rescission package. His leadership was essential. We also want to thank OMB Director Russ Vought, who provided the critical legislative framework that made this historic rollback possible. His boldness, vision, and policy expertise turned principle into action.
This wasn’t an overnight win. It was the result of decades of persistent effort — beginning in a modest Alexandria townhome, where my father, L. Brent Bozell III, with just a black-and-white TV and a couple of VCRs, began building the nation’s most trusted media watchdog. From there, through thousands of studies, congressional briefings, national media appearances, and Capitol Hill strategy sessions, MRC’s work became the gold standard for calling out liberal bias.
Our massive video archive — now approaching a million hours of programming — has powered everything from White House talking points to prime-time news segments. And when this rescission package was being written, it was our research — featured on Fox News, cited in congressional testimony, and echoed by President Trump himself — that built the case to cut off public funding for these partisan mouthpieces.
MRC’s work held firm because it was grounded in truth. The Left looked for weaknesses. They found none. And because we stayed unflinching, we earned the trust of lawmakers, thought leaders, and everyday conservatives across the country.
Tim Graham, who has worked tirelessly on this issue for 36 years, deserves special thanks. From his 1999 congressional testimony to his forceful 2024 remarks before the House Commerce Committee, Tim has remained laser-focused on exposing the abuses of PBS and NPR. Dan Schneider’s strategic efforts on the Hill were also instrumental. Their work brought the bias into sharp public view.
The credit also goes to our marketing team for keeping the message front and center — from social media blitzes and grassroots petitions to a digital billboard circling the Capitol with a simple message: “Defund PBS & NPR.” And to our NewsBusters team, who have cataloged every absurd moment and double standard for years — your work made it impossible to hide.
MRC wasn’t alone in this fight. We stood shoulder to shoulder with conservative allies like The Heritage Foundation, American Principles Project, Conservative Partnership Institute, and the Center for Renewing America. Together, we built a coalition powerful enough to win.
The Left, their media allies, and the Democrats who’ve long used PBS and NPR for friendly press and campaign cover are furious — and they should be. This wasn’t just a budget cut. It was a strike against a taxpayer-funded propaganda machine.
And make no mistake: this victory is yours.
Without your commitment — your belief in our mission, your support through every chapter — we wouldn’t have had the resources to expose the bias, arm the lawmakers, or spark the grassroots movement that brought us here. You were the fuel behind every study, every headline, and every breakthrough moment.
This win wasn’t easy. But as Vince Lombardi put it, “The price of success is hard work, dedication… and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” Today, we won. Because you stood with us. And together, we poured our all into this fight.
Yes, challenges remain — Big Tech, AI manipulation, and the same legacy media that tried to bury this story. But today is a turning point. My father launched this mission with fearless clarity. And you helped carry it to one of the most important victories in our history.
So take a bow. You made this day possible.
Raise a glass — and God bless you for always being there.
With gratitude,
David Bozell
President, Media Research Center
