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By Peter Aitken and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump's executive order to halt public funding for PBS and NPR has sparked intense backlash, with PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger calling the move "blatantly unlawful" and a threat to the broadcaster's ability to serve the American public.
Why It Matters
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a Republican, headed up a hearing in March titled "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable." The CEOs of NPR and PBS testified and defended their organizations as Republicans looked to cut funding to both as they view public broadcasting as ideologically slanted and financially unnecessary.
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Public broadcasting is primarily supported through a combination of federal funds, donations and philanthropic grants. While larger stations may be able to weather funding disruptions, smaller and rural affiliates—many of which are deeply reliant on federal support—stand to be hit hardest by the cuts.
Historically, proposed cuts to public broadcasting have faced bipartisan resistance, largely due to lawmakers' reluctance to jeopardize local stations in their districts. Still, the current push is seen by many insiders as the most serious threat to the system in its history.
What To Know
Signed late Thursday, the executive order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and other federal agencies to end funding to PBS and NPR, accusing them of spreading "radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'" The order also instructs federal officials to cut off any indirect funding streams to the public broadcasters.
In a statement Friday, Kerger warned that Trump's new directive undermines PBS's 50-year mission of providing educational programming to all Americans and confirmed the organization is "exploring all options" to continue operations despite the order.
However, the CPB argues it is not a federal executive agency and thus not subject to Trump's directive. The White House's effort to fire three of the five remaining CPB board members was immediately met with a lawsuit from the organization, which claims the move could paralyze its operations.
The order is part of a broader campaign by Trump to reshape cultural and public institutions he deems politically adversarial. Since beginning his second term in January, the administration has cut funding to libraries, arts organizations, museums, and academic institutions, often citing ideological grounds. The White House also announced plans to ask Congress to rescind CPB funding as part of a broader $9.1 billion spending cut package. That proposal has not yet reached Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues its push to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Federal courts have pushed back on similar efforts in the past, ruling that the administration overreached its authority by withholding funds appropriated by Congress.
What People Are Saying
PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger in statement released Friday said: "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," Kerger said in a statement. "We are currently exploring all options to allow PBS to continue to serve our member stations and all Americans."
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene in March wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "NPR and PBS have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars pushing Democrat talking points and alienating over half the country. I look forward to asking the leaders of both organizations tomorrow @DOGECommittee to explain to the American people why they should continue receiving their hard-earned money."
What Happens Next
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting sued the Trump administration of its efforts to meddle in the company's structure and may end up suing again if the administration takes punitive action against them for not complying with the executive order, to which the CPB argues it is not subject.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
Update 5/2/25 at 1:44 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information, context and comment.
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