Congresswoman Calls Efforts to Remove Newsmax from NYC Taxis ‘Political Censorship’
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, a Texas Republican, has labeled recent efforts to remove Newsmax from New York City taxi screens as political censorship. Speaking on Newsmax’s “The Count,” Van Duyne stated, “It’s absolutely about censorship. What are they so afraid of?”
She urged the network to view the criticism as a badge of honor rather than a setback, emphasizing that Newsmax provides fact-based reporting from around the globe. The remarks follow Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal’s call for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to remove Newsmax content from taxi screens—a move that affects privately owned city taxis.
Van Duyne argued that restrictions on alternative news sources undermine public understanding. “Get more information out to people,” she said. “That is how you educate them… having a number of different news organizations.” She further criticized efforts to block Newsmax as stemming from a desire to prevent audiences from seeing perspectives outside the preferred political narrative: “I don’t think that these Marxists in New York want their base to see facts.”
Earlier, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a New York Republican, condemned Hoylman-Sigal’s push, calling it an attack on consumer choice and an effort to censor Newsmax. Malliotakis noted the network is carried in 60 million homes and described it as “a trusted news source,” adding: “If a cab rider doesn’t want to watch, they can turn it off, but that should be THEIR choice, not a leftie politician’s.”
In response, Newsmax characterized the call to remove its content as “a pure act of censorship targeting a news organization reaching over 50 million Americans regularly.”
