Federal Funding Cut: Trump Targets NPR and PBS Over ‘Radical, Woke’ Content

President Trump signs an executive order to end taxpayer funding for NPR and PBS, citing bias and radical, woke propaganda, while the networks defend their journalistic integrity and warn of impacts on rural stations.

Key Takeaways

President Trump has signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS.
The order cites alleged political bias and argues that government-funded media is outdated in today’s diverse media landscape.
Federal funding for public media currently stands at $535 million for the fiscal year, with PBS receiving about 15% of its funding from CPB.
Small rural stations are expected to be most significantly impacted by the funding cuts.
The order also targets other publicly financed media entities including the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Trump Administration Takes Aim at Public Broadcasting

President Trump has signed an executive order to eliminate federal funding for NPR and PBS, fulfilling a campaign promise to address what he considers biased media outlets. The directive instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to immediately cease providing taxpayer dollars to the networks. The move comes after months of criticism from the President regarding the networks’ coverage and perceived political leanings.

The executive order, revealed through the Trump team’s “Rapid Response 47” account on social media platform X, states that federal taxpayer dollars should only support news coverage that is fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan. According to the White House document, “Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizens.”

🚨 BREAKING: @POTUS just signed an executive order ENDING the taxpayer subsidization of NPR and PBS — which receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as “news.”

Here is the text of the order:

By the authority vested in me as President by the…

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 2, 2025

Funding Structure and Potential Impact

Currently, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives $535 million in federal funding for the fiscal year. While NPR itself only gets about 1% of its funding directly from the federal government, PBS receives approximately 15% from CPB funds. The majority of public media funding supports local stations across the country, with television receiving more support than radio due to higher production costs.

The executive order goes beyond just targeting CPB funding, directing other federal agencies including the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities to end any financial support for public broadcasting. The administration has stated that both networks will be encouraged to seek private financial support and comply with FCC guidelines moving forward. The order also tasks the Secretary of Health and Human Services with ensuring NPR and PBS comply with anti-discrimination employment laws.

Legal Challenges and Network Response

The Trump administration’s efforts to defund public broadcasting have already faced legal obstacles. Federal judges have ruled against some previous attempts, noting that funds were already appropriated by Congress. Additionally, the CPB has filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s move to fire three Democratic board members who were appointed by President Biden, including a high-profile entertainment executive.

Both NPR and PBS leadership have testified before a House oversight committee regarding allegations of ideological bias. The networks defend their coverage as balanced and point to their educational content and locally grounded programming that reaches over 99% of the American population. Leaders from both organizations have highlighted that small rural stations would be most severely impacted by federal funding cuts, as these stations often rely more heavily on government support than their urban counterparts.

Broader Media Strategy

The executive order targeting NPR and PBS is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to reshape federally funded media. The White House has also been working to defund the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees international broadcasters including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The administration argues that government funding of media is outdated and unnecessary in today’s diverse media landscape with numerous alternative sources.

“REPUBLICANS MUST DEFUND AND TOTALLY DISASSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM NPR & PBS, THE RADICAL LEFT ‘MONSTERS’ THAT SO BADLY HURT OUR COUNTRY!” Trump posted on X.

As part of the executive action, the FCC has launched an investigation into both networks for potential violations of laws against commercial advertisements. The administration has also planned to request that Congress rescind already-allocated funding. The executive order includes a severability clause ensuring that if any part is invalidated, the rest remains effective, and specifies that it must be implemented in accordance with applicable laws and budgetary constraints.