House GOP Calls Emergency Vote on NPR Funding

The House of Representatives Tuesday called for an emergency vote on to be held Wednesday that would defund NPR in the wake of the James O’Keefe’s recent assault on the organization. GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado, long a foe of NPR, will put forward legislation at Wednesday’s session that bar any government funding to the embattled NRP and its affiliate stations. O’Keefe, a conservative activist, secretly taped NPR executive Ron Schiller calling the Tea Party “racist” and then O’Keefe accused the organization of taking money from a phony Muslim organization he set up. Although Schiller and CEO Vivian Schiller have both resigned, NPR has released emails showing they never were going to take any money, and the tapes were revealed to be dishonestly edited, Republican House leaders have increased their attacks against NPR since O’Keefe’s sting. The House already passed a bill to defund both NPR and PBS through September, but the Senate defeated it.