The non -profit company that oversees the national public radio and public broadcasting services replied to President Donald Trump’s executive order to withdraw funds for two popular media outlets.
Corporations for public broadcasting show that the congress controls funds, not the president.
“CPB is not a federal executive agent who is subject to the President’s authority,” Patricia Harrison, the President and CEO of CPB, said in a Friday statement. “Congress directly gave the authority and funding CPB to become a fully independent private non -profit company from the federal government.”
He continued, “In creating CPB, Congress expressly forbids any American department, agency, officials, or employees to train any direction, supervision, or control over radio television or radio broadcasting, or more [CPB] or one of the recipients or contractors. ‘”
Trump sign the executive command Instructing corporations for public broadcasting to “stop funds directly to NPR and PBS” on its way to Florida at Air Force One on Thursday
Orders block federal funds to NPR and PBS to the maximum limit allowed by law, according to Fact sheet from the White House. It also prevents indirect funds from PBS and NPR by banning local radio and television stations, and other CPB funds recipients, from using taxpayer dollars to support the organization.
Headquarters for National Public Radio (NPR) was seen in Washington, April 15, 2013.
Charles Dharapak/AP, File
The order mandated that CPB revised the General Provisions of 2025 to explicitly prohibit direct or indirect funds from NPR and PBS. This directs all federal institutions to end direct or indirect funds to NPR and PBS and to review existing grants and contracts for compliance. In addition, this instructed the Federal Communication Commission and related institutions to investigate whether NPR and PBS have been involved in discrimination that violates the law.
In the fact sheet, the White House claims the two news organizations “have triggered the alignments and left wing propaganda with a taxpayer dollar.”
In an interview with ABC News on Friday, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said that losses in federal funding would hit the audience in rural communities hard. Kerger said that their access to the station historically depends on government funds and that the content of children’s programming to reserve emergency warnings can be negatively influenced by slaughtering.
“They formed PBS as a way that we could unite dollars from all our countries,” Kerger said. “It will help us create children’s content that is loved by people for decades and who have truly raised the generation of children.”
For some stations, the situation can be very terrible, he said.
“For a number of smaller stations, it can really be an existential challenge,” Kerger said. “That means the existence of the stations.”
Kerger and the head of NPR testified at the DPR session in March regarding their funds.
“I hear, respect, and understand your concern about bias and whether public media relevant in commercial landscapes,” said President and CEO of NPR Katherine Maher at the trial. “It is very important for the NPR news room to operate with the highest journalistic standards. That means they do their work independently, and as CEO I have no editorial role in NPR.”
NPR and PBS are mainly funded through a combination of public and private sources. CPB, a federal agent, provides part of the funds, along with personal contributions from individuals, foundations and companies. CPB supervises dozens of media organizations Besides NPR and PBS, including all from American public media to native public media and public media in Mid-America.
President Donald Trump arrived at Palm Beach International Airport at West Palm Beach, Florida, May 1, 2025.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Those in the Senate and the Parliament quickly responded along the party line.
“The fact that taxpayers are forced to subsidize the leftmost propaganda outlets like NPR are anger,” Senator Tom Cotton, R-ARK., Write on x. “I praised President Trump for the general order of ending taxpayers for liberal media outlets.
“President Trump once again led us to authoritarianism, by eliminating funds for PBS and NPR, claiming to stop ‘biased and partisan news coverage,'” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., Write on x. “NPR and PBS are how 160 million Americans find news that is not in favor of their facts every month.”
“These organizations were created based on the actions of the congress, and therefore cannot be eliminated in executive orders,” he continued. “We need these programs and must challenge this decision in court.”
ABC News’ Max Zahn, Lalee Ibssa and Docquan Loallen contribute to this report.