President Donald Trump has taken a decisive step by signing an executive order aimed at terminating federal funding for NPR and PBS.
This move has sparked a response from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the entity responsible for distributing these funds. Patricia Harrison, CEO of CPB, asserted the organization's independence from presidential oversight, stating, "CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority." She emphasized that Congress has authorized and funded CPB as a private nonprofit corporation, independent of federal government control.
As reported by The Washington Free Beacon, Harrison's statement did not address the fact that the President appoints the nine members of CPB's board of directors, nor did it mention Congress's role in controlling federal funding to the corporation. Trump's executive order directs CPB to cease all direct federal funding for NPR and PBS to the "maximum extent allowed by law" and to "decline to provide future funding." Furthermore, the order mandates CPB officials to take measures to "minimize or eliminate" any indirect funding to these broadcasters.
NPR and PBS, the nation's largest public broadcasters, have long been under scrutiny for perceived left-wing bias in their reporting, despite receiving federal funding for many years. In the fiscal year 2025 alone, these networks received approximately $535 million from the federal government.
During a congressional hearing in March, NPR CEO Katherine Maher, who has previously referred to Trump as a "deranged racist sociopath," conceded that the network had inadequately covered two significant stories: the Hunter Biden laptop and the origins of COVID-19. Maher admitted, "NPR was mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively and sooner," and acknowledged that "the new CIA evidence" regarding the Wuhan lab leak "is worthy of coverage."
In reaction to Trump's executive order, NPR warned that cutting CPB funding "would have a devastating impact on American communities" that depend on public radio for news, emergency alerts, and public safety information.
PBS also criticized the order, with CEO Paula Kerger stating, "The President's blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issued in the middle of the night, threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years."
This development raises questions about the future of public broadcasting in the United States and the potential impact on communities that rely on these services. The debate over federal funding for NPR and PBS continues to highlight the broader discussion on media bias and the role of government in supporting public media.
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