Trump signs executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS and
NPR
[May 02, 2025]
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an
executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR as he
alleged “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting.
The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other
federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS" and further
requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public
financing for the news organizations. The White House, in a social media
posting announcing the signing, said the outlets “receive millions from
taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'”
It's the latest move by Trump and his administration to utilize federal
powers to control or hamstring institutions whose actions or viewpoints
he disagrees with. Since taking office, Trump has ousted leaders, placed
staff on administrative leave and cut off hundreds of millions of
dollars in funding to artists, libraries, museums, theaters and others,
through takeovers of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has also pushed to
withhold federal research and education funds from universities and
punish law firms unless they agreed to eliminate diversity programs and
other measures Trump has found objectionable.
The broadcasters get roughly half a billion dollars in public money
through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and have been preparing
for the possibility of stiff cuts since Trump's election, as Republicans
have long complained about them.
Paula Kerger, PBS’ CEO and president, said in a statement last month
that the Trump administration’s effort to rescind funding for public
media would “disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations
provide to the American people.”
“There’s nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible
because of the bipartisan support we have always received from
Congress,” she said. “This public-private partnership allows us to help
prepare millions of children for success in school and in life and also
supports enriching and inspiring programs of the highest quality.”
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President Donald Trump arrives to give a commencement address at the
University of Alabama, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
 The Corporation for Public
Broadcasting sued Trump earlier this week over his move to fire
three members of its five-person board, contending that the
president was exceeding his authority and that the move would
deprive the board of a quorum needed to conduct business.
Just two weeks ago, the White House said it would be asking Congress
to rescind funding for the CPB as part of a $9.1 billion package of
cuts. That package, however, which budget director Russell Vought
said would likely be the first of several, has not yet been sent to
Capitol Hill.
The move against PBS and NPR comes as his administration has been
working to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including
Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which were
designed to model independent news gathering globally in societies
that restrict the press. Those efforts have faced pushback from
federal courts, who have ruled in some cases that the Trump
administration may have overstepped its authority in holding back
funds appropriated to the outlets by Congress.
—
AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed.
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