Executive Order Issued to End Direct and Indirect NPR and PBS Funding

President Donald Trump has issued an Executive Order preventing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from funding NPR and PBS.  The Executive order noted that CPB’s governing statute required impartiality and “that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.”  Of course, PBS, NPR, and CPB strongly disagree with this characterization.

Importantly, the Executive Order prohibits local stations from using CPB funds to acquire NPR or PBS content.  Thus, the order prohibits indirect funding of PBS and NPR by local stations:

“The CPB Board shall cease indirect funding to NPR and PBS, including by ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not use Federal funds for NPR and PBS.  To effectuate this directive, the CPB Board shall, before June 30, 2025, revise the 2025 Television Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria and the 2025 Radio Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria to prohibit direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS.  To the extent permitted by the 2024 Television Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria, the 2024 Radio Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria, and applicable law, the CPB Board shall also prohibit parties subject to these provisions from funding NPR or PBS after the date of this order.  In addition, the CPB Board shall take all other necessary steps to minimize or eliminate its indirect funding of NPR and PBS.”

In addition, the Executive Order states that “The head of all agencies shall identify and terminate, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, any direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS."

Local public TV stations are represented in Washington by the group America's Public Television Stations.  In response to the Executive Order, its President and CEO, Kate Riley, stated:

“America’s Public Television Stations are deeply concerned by the executive order seeking to prohibit federal funding for PBS and NPR, and limit local stations’ ability to make local decisions responsive to their communities.  This order defies the will of the American people and would devastate the public safety, educational and local service missions of public media – services that the American public values, trusts and relies on every day."

Obviously, this is a dramatic shift in communications policy.  The political and legal battles over this issue have already commenced. 

You can see the Executive Order here.

You can see the statement from American Public Television Stations here.