Trump Says He's Defunding NPR and PBS, But Can He?

President Donald Trump issued an executive order late Thursday directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to “cease federal funding” to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) over concerns of left-wing bias. Congress appropriated around $535 million this fiscal year to CPB, a publicly-funded nonprofit that funnels money to the media organizations.

• A fact sheet accompanying the order accuses NPR and PBS of fueling "partisanship and left-wing propaganda," pointing to specific coverage like a Valentines Day feature about queer animals and a Sesame Street town hall on racism. It also cites findings from a former NPR veteran and whistleblower who wrote an explosive op-ed about the lack of registered Republicans in editorial roles.

• It comes after CPB sued the Trump administration on Tuesday after it tried to fire three of the organization’s board members. Public media officials are reportedly weighing legal action against Trump’s recent order, as it’s not clear he has the power to control CPB’s funding.

Congress giveth, and Congress taketh away: This year’s CPB funding was affirmed in a recent stopgap bill passed by the Republican-controlled U.S. House and Senate, to fully fund it through September 30, 2027. The Executive Order can’t alone cut the funding — the White House plans to call for Congress to vote to rescind the allocation.

THE GOP & CPB
Most – but not all – Republicans have opposed CPB funding: nearly every Republican president since Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, has called to defund it.

• In March, NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger were invited to a hearing with the House subcommittee on government efficiency to reassure lawmakers that their coverage is not partisan and their organizations are worth public investment. It was tense.

  • Maher faced tough questioning from Republicans, including being forced to answer to old tweets in which she called Trump a “deranged, racist sociopath.”

WHAT WE PAY
For context, it costs each American, on average, a little over $1.50 a year to fund the CPB — much less than the Brits’ $200 per year to access the BBC. That $ is spread to about 1,500 local stations nationwide, which are then able to do more boots-on-the-ground reporting in their communities.

• Most of public medias’ budgets come from donations and corporate sponsors. Federal funding contributes to just about 8% of the average public radio station budget and roughly 17% for public television stations.