Executive officials at PBS and NPR pledge resilience against Trump's executive decree aimed at stripping federal support, thereby threatening public broadcasting.
Trump Slashes Public Funding for PBS and NPR in Unlawful Move, Alleges Bias
The man at the helm of PBS set the record straight on Friday. President Donald Trump's executive order, which aims to ax public subsidies for PBS and NPR, is nothing but a raw, unlawful power play. And NPR's top dog vowed to take this sindicate to court.
Paula Kerger, PBS CEO, put it plain and simple - Trump's order is a direct attack on our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, a service we've proudly delivered for over five decades.
"We're currently examining every possible avenue to allow PBS to continue supporting our member stations and serving all Americans," Kerger stated.
Trump inked his orders late Thursday, claiming a bias in the broadcasters' reporting. But don't let that misdirection fool you. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and other federal agencies to halt federal funding for PBS and National Public Radio. It even mandates that they do their darndest to chop off indirect sources of funding for the news orgs.
The White House didn't hold back in their social media announcement, stating the outlets receive "millions from taxpayers to peddle radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'"
But here's the kicker - the CPB, the intermediary that funnels public funding to the two services, claims it ain't a federal executive agency, so it's outside Trump's grasp. Trump himself even booted three of the five remaining CPB board members earlier this week, but the CPB swiftly sued him to put a stop to it. The corporation disburses roughly $500 million of congressionally-approved cash to PBS, NPR, and their local stations annually.
Patricia Harrison, CPB's prez and CEO, pointed out that Congress barred any federal agency or employee from exerting control over educational television or broadcasting when it set up the CPB.
NPR's top dog echoed Kerger's sentiment on Friday. "We'll fight tooth and nail to preserve our right to provide essential news, information, and life-saving services to the American public," Katherine Maher declared. "We'll challenge this executive order using every legal option available."
The majority of the public dough goes straight to the hundreds of local stations, which operate on a mix of government funding, donations, and philanthropic grants. Stations in smaller markets are particularly reliant on that public money and most in danger from the cuts Trump's proposing.
Public broadcasting's been on Republican leaders' hit list for yonks, but the local links have generally kept cutbacks at bay. Now, however, this threat seems more serious than ever.
It's the latest power play by Trump and his cronies to wield federal powers against institutions that challenge their worldview. Since he took office for a second term, Trump's ousted leaders, placed staff on administrative leave, and clawed back hundreds of millions in funding from artists, libraries, museums, theaters, and more through takeovers of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump's also been pushing universities and law firms to scrap diversity programs and other measures he finds unfavorable by withholding federal research and education funds.
Just two weeks ago, the White House hinted it'd request Congress to scrunch CPB's funding as part of an $9.1 billion package of cuts. But that package's yet to reach Capitol Hill.
The moves against PBS and NPR follow Trump's administration's attempts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, designed to emulate independent newsgathering worldwide in places where press is restricted.
But these efforts have faced pushback from federal courts, which've ruled in some cases that the Trump administration may have overstepped its authority in holding back funds appropriated to the outlets by Congress.
AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Insights:
- The executive order has been met with legal challenges, as the CPB, which administers federal funds to public media, argues it is not a federal agency subject to Trump's orders.
- The move is seen as politically motivated, as the vast majority of public money for PBS and NPR goes to its local stations, many of which operate in Republican-controlled districts that the party doesn't want to appear to shut down.
- The Trump administration's broader pattern of wielding federal power to control or hamstring institutions whose actions or viewpoints it disagrees with is the context for this move.
- Efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which were designed to model independent newsgathering globally, have faced pushback from federal courts.
- Paula Kerger, the CEO of PBS, asserted that President Donald Trump's executive order, aiming to eliminate public subsidies for PBS and NPR, is a direct assault on their ability to provide educational programming to the American public.
- Kerger also announced that PBS is currently exploring every possible means to keep supporting its member stations and serving all Americans in the face of the funding cuts.
- The White House alleges that PBS and NPR receive "millions from taxpayers to peddle radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news'" and has instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and other federal agencies to halt federal funding for them.
- The CPB, the intermediary that channels public funding to PBS and NPR, claims it's not a federal executive agency, thus it's beyond Trump's jurisdiction. Trump dismissed three CPB board members earlier this week, but the corporation sued him to block this action.
- The CPB distributes about $500 million of congressionally-approved money to PBS, NPR, and their local stations annually, and most stations in smaller markets are particularly susceptible to the proposed cuts.
- The Trump administration's move against PBS and NPR follows a pattern of wielding federal power to control or impact institutions whose actions or viewpoints it dislikes, including ousting leaders, placing staff on administrative leave, and withdrawing hundreds of millions in funding from various arts and cultural organizations.
