In a high-stakes appearance before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos found himself at the epicenter of a cultural and political clash. His testimony was part of discussions regarding Netflix’s proposed acquisition of a substantial portion of Warner Bros Discovery.

The Senate Judiciary’s antitrust subcommittee examined the merger from various angles, voicing concerns from both political camps. Issues included potential consumer cost hikes, diminished theater experiences, and a possible decrease in entertainment industry employment. However, the conversation also veered into the realm of Netflix’s so-called “woke” content, particularly programming that includes transgender characters.

The streaming giant is also facing competition from Paramount Skydance, helmed by David Ellison, whose father, Larry Ellison, is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump. Despite Warner Bros Discovery rejecting Paramount’s bid, Republican lawmakers are vocally opposing Netflix’s acquisition efforts.

Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri questioned the wisdom of allowing Netflix to dominate the content landscape further, expressing concerns about the company’s potential monopoly and its perceived focus on progressive programming. “Why would we endorse making you the largest content giant?” he asked, criticizing Netflix’s content as excessively “woke.”

When Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey attempted to steer the conversation back to antitrust issues, Senator Ashley Moody from Florida argued that content concerns were indeed pertinent. She stressed that with Americans already facing limited entertainment choices, Netflix’s expansion should be scrutinized for its impact on consumer options.

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri shifted his inquiry from labor practices to question Netflix’s children’s programming. He challenged the company on the prevalence of transgender themes, claiming that nearly half of its content for younger audiences promoted such ideologies. Sarandos countered by stating that Netflix holds no political bias, and he questioned the basis of Hawley’s statistics.

The French film Cuties featured heavily at the hearing as an example of oversexualized kids content. The movie, which was created as a commentary on the sexualization of young girls and Sarandos said is rated for mature audiences, not kids, became a symbol of Netflix’s alleged ideologically-driven library. Billionaire and Trump backer Elon Musk previously led a campaign against Netflix over shows like Dead End: Paranormal Park and The Baby-Sitters Club for featuring trans characters. GOP lawmakers also pointed to Netflix’s staff’s primarily Democratic-leaning political donations and content featuring LGBTQ+ characters as other examples of its bias.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) asked Sarandos and WBD Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell if they’d watched the Grammys this weekend (only Sarandos caught the “tail end”). “Are we right now on stolen land?” Cruz asked pointedly, referencing artist Billie Eilish’s speech opposing ICE, where she said, “no one is illegal on stolen land.” Both said they didn’t know. (The Grammys were broadcast on CBS, which is owned by Paramount Skydance.)

Ellison declined an invitation to attend the hearing because he believed it wouldn’t be helpful given the circumstances, Booker said. But Ellison met with lawmakers privately, and Booker described his conversation with him as “fruitful.” Paramount’s bid could raise some of the same concerns as Netflix’s, but Ellison’s father’s close tie to President Donald Trump would potentially assuage some of the content concerns for Republicans, and raise them for Democrats.

Booker raised deep concerns about whether any transaction would be reviewed fairly by independent enforcers under the Trump administration. Sarandos admitted he’d met with Trump shortly before the deal was announced, but that the deal was not discussed in detail and was not the primary purpose of the conversation. “I do not trust this administration in their evaluations, and I just pray to God that everything that you all hope might come should this move forward, that you all attested to, comes to pass,” Booker said.