A PBS affiliate appears to be running political ads targeting Senate Republicans, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr wants answers.
PBS Kansas recently ran an ad urging viewers to “call your senators today” and “tell them to vote no” on the Trump administration’s rescissions bill, which targets funding for PBS and NPR.
The ad included photos of the state’s two Republican senators, Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, along with their office phone numbers.
The PBS channel also asked viewers to “donate today!” to PBS Kansas.
The FCC chairman stated that the agency is investigating the situation, since PBS is barred from airing certain political ads.
“Federal law prohibits noncommercial stations — including PBS ones — from accepting money in exchange for airing political issue ads,” Carr wrote in a post on X. “I’ve asked the FCC’s enforcement team to determine whether or not that happened here.”
Federal law prohibits noncommercial stations—including PBS ones—from accepting money in exchange for airing political issue ads.
I’ve asked the FCC’s enforcement team to determine whether or not that happened here.
I would encourage PBS & NPR to focus more on how they managed… pic.twitter.com/hRhm3IGeED
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) July 11, 2025
“I would encourage PBS & NPR to focus more on how they managed to lose America’s trust. That is their problem, not Congress’s work to ensure good stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” Carr said.
Brendan Jaspers, political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which works to elect Senate Republicans, also slammed the ads.
“The Progressive Bias Syndicate (PBS) is running issue ads against Senate Republicans using taxpayer dollars — to request MORE taxpayer dollars,” Jaspers posted on X.
“It’s an egregious effort by PBS to prop up the failed Democrats who fund their propaganda. Pull the ads immediately,” Jaspers said.
The Trump administration’s recessions bill would codify the Department of Government Efficiency project’s proposed roughly $9 billion in spending cuts.
Besides PBS and NPR, the spending cuts package also targets funding for USAID, which has disbursed tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid, and the U.S. Institute of Peace, which is supposed to promote conflict resolution worldwide.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump warned that he would withhold his endorsement from any Republican who votes against the cuts.
He emphasized defunding PBS.
“It is very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement,” Trump said.
