On Friday’s PBS NewsHour, New York Times columnist David Brooks acknowledged that conservatives are now actively implementing a long-held objective: defunding institutions perceived to be aligned with the political left. Brooks, reflecting on his early years writing for National Review and The Wall Street Journal, said the idea of “defunding the left” has been a conservative rallying cry since his entry into political commentary.
“When I was a baby pundit in my 20s,” Brooks recalled, “we conservatives were upset about something called the Legal Services Corporation,” an organization he described as ideologically skewed to the left. He noted that a significant portion of federal contracts and funding have historically gone to left-leaning nonprofits, providing conservatives with a “basis” for their concerns.
Brooks said the current conservative movement, especially under President Trump’s administration and influence in Congress, is no longer just talking about defunding the left — they are following through. Longstanding targets like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) are now under real threat. “Republicans have been going after that since we were all in diapers,” Brooks remarked, but historically were held back by a small faction of moderate Republicans who valued public media. “That rump is gone.”
He added that while some institutions are only “perceived” to be left-leaning, they still face defunding efforts. Brooks acknowledged that for decades, conservatives saw public funds disproportionately supporting leftist causes and institutions, and that perception is now driving real policy shifts.
The comment reflects a broader trend of the right seizing the opportunity to reshape the federal funding landscape, aligning taxpayer resources more closely with conservative priorities and ending what they see as an unfair advantage for liberal organizations.
