NPR CEO Katherine Maher found herself in the hot seat during a heated congressional subcommittee hearing when she faced questions about 2020 posts to Twitter, now X, in which she called for white people to “pay reparations.”
NPR and PBS executives faced tough questions on Wednesday as Republicans renewed efforts to defund U.S. public media. The hearing, titled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable,” was led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who chairs a group focused on government efficiency within the House Oversight Committee.
During the hearing, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) questioned Maher specifically about her comments and whether she believed “people should pay reparations.”
🚨MUST WATCH🚨
Old tweets come back to haunt NPR CEO…
GILL: Do you believe that America is addicted to white supremacy?
MAHER: I believe that I tweeted that and, as I’ve said earlier, I believe much of my thinking has evolved over the last half decade and has evolved…
…… pic.twitter.com/rEzRWxCv2T— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) March 26, 2025
The tweet, posted on Jan. 20, 2020, read, “’America begins in black plunder and white democracy.’ I appreciate the day off today to finally fully read The Case for Reparations.”