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.”
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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…
— 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.”
“America begins in black plunder and white democracy.” I appreciate the day off today to finally fully read The Case for Reparations. https://t.co/BtlWm6CjDP
— Katherine Maher (@krmaher) January 20, 2020
Later in the thread, Maher wrote, “Yes, the North, yes all of us, yes America. Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day.”
Rep. Gill pointed out the tweet during the hearing, asking, “Do you believe that America believes in black plunder and white democracy?”
Yes, the North, yes all of us, yes America. Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day.
— Katherine Maher (@krmaher) January 20, 2020
“Do you believe that America believes in black plunder and white democracy?” the Texas Republican asked at the hearing on Wednesday.
Initially, Maher denied association with the comment. “I don’t believe that, sir,” she responded.
Gill continued, “You tweeted that in reference to a book you were reading at the time, apparently, The Case for Reparations.”
Maher denied ever reading the book. “I don’t think I’ve ever read that book, sir,” she insisted.
“You tweeted about it. You said you took a day off to fully read The Case for Reparations,” Gill responded, clearly incredulous.
“I apologize, I don’t recall that I did,” Maher replied, further distancing herself from the tweet.
Gill then pressed her on another tweet from Maher, where she wrote: “I grew up feeling superior—ha, how white of me.” He asked, “Do you believe that white people inherently feel superior to other races?”
“I do not,” Maher responded.
“You don’t? You tweeted something to that effect. Why did you tweet that?” Gill grilled.
Maher explained, “I think I was probably reflecting on what it was like to grow up in an environment where I had lots of advantages.”
“It sounds like you’re saying that white people feel superior,” Gill said.
“I don’t believe that anybody feels that way, sir. I was just reflecting on my own experiences,” Maher explained, referencing her upbringing in Connecticut with a father who worked in finance in New York City.
Gill continued pressing, asking, “Do you think that people should pay reparations?”
“I have never said that, sir,” Maher denied.
“Yes, you did. You said it in January of 2020,” Gill retorted, pointing to her social media posts. “You tweeted, ‘Yes, the North, yes, all of us, yes, America, yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt, yes, reparations, yes, on this day.’”
After Gill read her tweet aloud, Maher shifted her response, claiming the tweet didn’t refer to “fiscal reparations.” Gill pushed further, asking, “What kind of reparations do you mean?”
“I don’t believe that was a reference to fiscal reparations, sir,” Maher explained.
“What kind of reparations was it a reference to?” Gill pressed.
Maher responded, “I think it was just a reference to the idea that we all owe much to the people who came before us.”
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Gill, skeptical, said, “That’s a bizarre way to frame what you tweeted. OK, how — how much reparations have you personally paid?”
“Sir, I don’t believe that I’ve ever paid reparations,” Maher replied, concluding the exchange.
During the hearing, several subcommittee members also pressed Maher about NPR’s coverage of conservative issues, including the leak of Hunter Biden’s laptop.
