Trump Moves to Cut All Federal Funding to NPR and PBS, Sparking Legal Showdown

President Donald Trump issued an executive order late Thursday instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to halt all federal funding to NPR and PBS, claiming they no longer offer "a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizens." The order demands that CPB "cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law" and "decline to provide future funding." However, legal experts and public broadcasting officials immediately challenged the legitimacy of the directive. Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS, denounced the move as a "blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issued in the middle of the night."

CPB, already suing the Trump administration over his attempts to remove three of its board members, rejected the order's authority. In a statement, the organization clarified that "CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority" and pointed to legislation barring government control over its broadcasting or funding decisions. CPB was chartered by Congress as a nonprofit independent of federal oversight, with $535 million already allocated for the current fiscal year and funding secured through 2027.

NPR, in a statement by Senior VP of Communications Heather Walls, vowed to fight back, calling the order "an affront to the First Amendment rights of NPR and locally owned and operated stations throughout America." The network warned that the directive jeopardizes essential programming such as Morning Edition and Tiny Desk Radio.

While NPR receives only about 1% of its funding directly from the federal government, its local affiliates rely on CPB for 8–10% of their budgets. PBS stations receive around 15% of their revenue from federal funds, primarily to support more costly television production and local broadcasting. Both networks emphasized their roles in delivering educational and emergency services to over 99% of the population.

Trump's push follows years of criticism and an FCC-led investigation into NPR and PBS underwriting practices. On social media, he accused both networks of being "RADICAL LEFT 'MONSTERS.'" His actions, if successful, could leave CPB without a board quorum, stalling its operations and potentially endangering public broadcasting nationwide.

Link: NPR