President Trump signed an executive order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS, citing biased and partisan news coverage. The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease all direct funding and instructs other federal agencies to terminate existing funding agreements.
The order claims that government funding of news media is outdated, unnecessary, and harms journalistic independence. It asserts that NPR and PBS do not provide fair, accurate, or unbiased reporting, thus violating CPB's principle of impartiality.
NPR and PBS have previously warned that funding cuts would disrupt operations and impact communities relying on public radio for news. Their CEOs responded to allegations of bias during a House hearing, maintaining their commitment to fair and comprehensive reporting, while acknowledging past mistakes.
This action follows a prior Truth Social post by Trump calling for defunding. It's also part of a broader Trump administration push to eliminate non-statutory components of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which has faced legal challenges, including a temporary restraining order requiring funding disbursement to Radio Free Europe.