June 11, 2025
Mrs. Blackburn introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
To codify Executive Order 14290, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Free Americans from Ideological Reporting Act
or the FAIR Act
.
Sec. 2. Corporation for public broadcasting
(a) In general
Section 396 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 396) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(m) Prohibition on Federal funding for NPR and PBS
(1) In general
After the date of enactment of this subsection, no Federal funds may, directly or indirectly, be made available to or used to support an organization described in paragraph (2), including through the payment of dues to or the purchase of programming from the organization by a public broadcast station using Federal funds received by the station. The Corporation shall cancel any direct and indirect funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding to such organizations, including by ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of funds under this section, do not use Federal funds for such organizations.
(2) Organizations described
The organizations described in this paragraph are—
(A)
the organization known, as of the date of enactment of this subsection, as
National Public Radio;(B)
the organization known, as of the date of enactment of this subsection, as
Public Broadcasting Service;(C)
any successor organization to an organization described in subparagraph (A) or (B); or
(D)
any licensee or permittee of an organization described in subparagraph (A) or (B).
(3) Grants revisions
The Corporation shall revise the applicable Television Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria and Radio Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria to prohibit direct or indirect funding to the organizations described in paragraph (2) and take all other necessary steps to minimize or eliminate its indirect funding of such organizations.
(b) Technical and conforming amendments
Title III of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended—
(1)
in section 396(k) (47 U.S.C. 396(k))—
(A)
in paragraph (4), in the first sentence, by striking , unless the governing body
and all that follows through reasons for closing the meeting
and inserting a period;
(B)
by striking paragraph (9);
(C)
by redesignating paragraphs (10), (11), and (12) as paragraphs (9), (10), and (11), respectively; and
(D)
in paragraph (9), as so redesignated, in subparagraph (D), by striking paragraphs (4), (5), (8), and (9)
and inserting paragraphs (4), (5), and (8)
; and
(2)
in section 398(b)(1) (47 U.S.C. 398(b)(1)), by striking by the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio (or any successor organization) and
.
Sec. 3. Federal agencies
The heads of each Federal agency shall—
(1)
identify and terminate, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, any direct or indirect funding of the organizations described in subsection (m)(2) of section 396 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 396), as added by this Act; and
(2)
identify any remaining grants, contracts, or other funding instruments entered into with such organizations and determine such organizations are in compliance with the terms of those instruments, taking appropriate steps under the terms of those instruments if a determination of noncompliance is made.
Sec. 4. Severability
If any provision of this Act, or an amendment made by this Act, is held invalid, the remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby. If the application of any provision of this Act, or an amendment made by this Act, to any agency, person, or circumstance is held invalid, the application of such provision to another agency, person, or circumstance shall not be affected thereby.
Sec. 5. Rules of construction
(a) In general
Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect—
(1)
the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(2)
the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) No private right of action
This Act is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.