Democrats mock efforts to defund PBS: ‘Are Bert and Ernie part of an extreme homosexual agenda?’
Democratic representative Robert Garcia mocks Republican efforts to defund the channel that hosts Sesame Street (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Democratic representative Robert Garcia mocks Republican efforts to defund the channel that hosts Sesame Street (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Democratic congressman Robert Garcia has mocked Republican efforts to defund the TV channel that airs Sesame Street, sarcastically asking if characters Bert and Ernie were “part of an extreme homosexual agenda”.
Garcia’s comments came at a congressional hearing on Wednesday (26 March) which heard a Republican-led case for defunding broadcasters the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), over alleged “bias” against conservatives.
During Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) hearing, PBS and NPR were accused of being “radical, left-wing echo chambers” with “anti-American” bias.
Committee chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene called for the channels to be stripped of public funding. “For far too long, federal taxpayers have been forced to fund biased news. This needs to come to an end. And it needs to come to an end now,” she said.
Greene claimed that the broadcasters’ audiences were mainly made up of “wealthy, white, urban liberals and progressives, who generally look down on, and judge, rural America”. She accused PBS, which has aired Arthur and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, of being “part of transing children, brainwashing children about gender”.
Elon Musk and Marjorie Taylor Greene are trying to defund Sesame Street and dismantle PBS and NPR. Not on our watch.
— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) March 26, 2025
Fire Elon Musk, and Save Elmo. pic.twitter.com/BQQUwnuYby
Garcia responded by asking sarcastic questions of PBS chief executive Paula Kerger, to highlight Greene’s anti-LGBTQ+ stance .
“These two guys actually live together. They’re friends. They’re supportive of each other,” Garcia said of Bert and Ernie. “Now that might be triggering to our chairwoman… are Bert and Ernie part of an extreme homosexual agenda? The American people want to know: is Elmo now, or has he ever been, a member of the Communist Party of the United States? Yes or no.”
After Kerger responded “no”, Garcia followed up with: “Are you sure, Ms Kerger because he’s obviously red?”
The California congressman added that he was “obviously using some humour here” but that the issue of defunding public TV was “not funny”.
Why is ‘Fire Elon Save Elmo’ trending?
The phrase “Fire Elon Save Elmo” started to trend after the hearing, with many on social media expressing their support for PBS and condemning Musk, who was appointed to head up DOGE in January, by Donald Trump.
“At a time where we can’t agree on basic facts, and while the free press is under attack, we need public media like PBS and NPR more than ever,” Garcia said. “A large majority of Americans say they trust PBS, and that’s exactly why extremists are trying to tear it down.
“If we’re gonna get rid of any puppeteers, we should get rid of the one that’s controlling Donald Trump.
Garcia then used the phrase: “Fire Elon Musk and save Elmo”.
Fellow Democrat Greg Casar pointed out that “total funding for public broadcasting is just one-sixth the amount that Elon Musk’s companies make off the government every year but you will not see Elon Musk being grilled by this committee.”
fire elon, SAVE ELMO pic.twitter.com/JS3bUg2ZbR
— zoe bernal (@ZoeBernal10) March 26, 2025
Are Bert and Ernie gay?
The Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie are best friends who live together and share a bedroom, so rumours have swirled since the show began in 1969 that they are gay.
The company behind the show has long maintained that the pair “do not have a sexual orientation”, with Sesame Workshop’s Gary Knell saying they “are not gay, they are not straight, they are puppets”.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
