The nonprofit corporation that oversees National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service is firing back at President Donald Trump’s executive order to pull funding for the two popular media outlets.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting pointed out that Congress controls its funding, not the president.
“CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority,” Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the CPB, said in a statement Friday. “Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.”
She continued, “In creating CPB, Congress expressly forbade ‘any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over educational television or radio broadcasting, or over [CPB] or any of its grantees or contractors.'”
On his way to Florida aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump signed an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to “cease direct funding to NPR and PBS.”
The order blocks federal funding to NPR and PBS to the maximum extent allowed by law, according to a fact sheet from the White House. It also prevents indirect funding to PBS and NPR by prohibiting local public radio and television stations, and any other recipients of CPB funds, from using taxpayer dollars to support the organizations.
The headquarters for National Public Radio (NPR) is seen in Washington, April 15, 2013.
Charles Dharapak/AP, FILE
The order mandates that the CPB revise its 2025 General Provisions to explicitly prohibit direct or indirect funding to NPR and PBS. It directs all federal agencies to terminate any direct or indirect funding to NPR and PBS and to review existing grants and contracts for compliance. Additionally, it instructs the Federal Communications Commission and relevant agencies to investigate whether NPR and PBS have engaged in unlawful discrimination.
In the fact sheet, the White House claims the two news organizations “have fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars.”
The heads of PBS and NPR testified at a House hearing in March about their funding.
“I hear, respect and understand your concerns regarding bias and whether public media is relevant in a commercial landscape,” NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said at the hearing. “It is critical for NPR’s newsroom to operate with the highest journalistic standards. That means they do their jobs independently, and as CEO I have no editorial role at NPR.”
Minutes later, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger added: “PBS stations are focused on the needs and interests of the viewers they serve. Especially in rural areas, PBS stations are the only outlets providing coverage for local events, for example high school sports, local history and culture content, candidate debates at every level of the election ballot and specialized agricultural news.”
NPR and PBS are primarily funded through a combination of public and private sources. The CPB, a federal agency, provides a portion of the funding, along with private donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. The CPB oversees dozens of media organizations in addition to NPR and PBS, including everything from American Public Media to Native Public Media and Public Media in Mid-America.
President Donald Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., May 1, 2025.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Those in the Senate and House quickly responded along party lines.
“The fact that taxpayers are forced to subsidize far-left propaganda outlets like NPR is an outrage,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X. “I commend President Trump for his common-sense order ending taxpayer funding for liberal media outlets.
“President Trump is once again walking us towards authoritarianism, by eliminating funds for PBS and NPR, claiming it will stop ‘biased and partisan news coverage,'” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., wrote on X. “NPR and PBS is how 160 million Americans find their fact-based, impartial news each month.”
“These organizations were created under an act of Congress, and therefore cannot be eliminated in an executive order,” he continued. “We need these programs and must challenge this ruling in the courts.”
ABC News’ Max Zahn and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
