NPR and PBS strongly condemned President Trump’s executive order aimed at cutting their federal funding, announcing plans to legally contest the directive amid concerns it could undermine public access to critical information.
The late Thursday order instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — which annually allocates over $500 million in taxpayer funds to public television and radio outlets — to withdraw millions of dollars in federal support from NPR and PBS. This move represents one of the most significant challenges in a longstanding Republican effort to reduce the influence and funding of these public media organizations.
Patricia Harrison, CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, emphasized that the White House lacks the legal authority to control the corporation’s funding decisions. NPR criticized the order as a violation of First Amendment protections and pledged to fight it through legal channels.
PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger also denounced the executive order as unlawful, stating that the abrupt, late-night directive jeopardizes their ability to provide educational programming to the American public — a mission they have upheld for over half a century.
The Trump administration and Republican allies have repeatedly accused NPR and PBS of exhibiting liberal bias, arguing that taxpayer dollars should not support their reporting. The executive order echoed these claims, labeling the outlets as purveyors of "left-wing propaganda."
This executive order marks the fourth Republican initiative in recent months targeting public media funding: Congressional legislation is underway to defund NPR and PBS; the White House has requested that Congress retract federal support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and an attempt to remove three CPB board members was stalled by court rulings earlier this week.
