President Trump signed an executive order late Thursday ending federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Both NPR and PBS, frequent targets for conservative criticism, receive partial funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Trump argued such funding is unnecessary given today’s media landscape.
“Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence,” Trump wrote in the order.
“The CPB Board shall cease direct funding to NPR and PBS, consistent with my Administration’s policy to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage,” he added. “The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding.”
Trump further directed the CPB to end 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.”
During a House hearing back in March, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) grilled NPR CEO Katherine Maher over past tweets in which she called Trump a “deranged racist sociopath.”
Watch the clip below:
The old tweets are coming out to haunt the NPR CEO: "Why did you call President Trump a 'fascist' and a 'deranged racist sociopath' in 2020?" pic.twitter.com/ggcpPCSvzi
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 26, 2025
Similarly, Texas Rep. Brandon Gill read Maher’s past statements, as well, and asked her to clarify anti-Republican, anti-Trump remarks (she couldn’t).
Watch the clip below:
🚨MUST WATCH🚨
Old tweets come back to haunt NPR CEO…
GILL: Do you believe that America is addicted to white supremacy?
MAHER: I believe that I tweeted that and, as I've said earlier, I believe much of my thinking has evolved over the last half decade and has evolved…
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) March 26, 2025
More over at The New York Post:
Trump terminates NPR, PBS federal funding with sweeping executive order https://t.co/6uIOwnmcD2 https://t.co/RDDEvABzig
— New York Post (@nypost) May 2, 2025
