In March, NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger stated that proposed reductions in public media funding would adversely affect local member stations.
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DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
According to a White House official speaking to NPR, the Trump administration has prepared a memo for Congress indicating plans to eliminate nearly all federal funding for public media, including NPR and PBS.
The memo is expected to be sent to Congress when it resumes on April 28, creating a 45-day period in which both the House and Senate can vote to either approve the funding cuts or allow the funds to be reinstated.
The official, who requested anonymity, has confirmed the memo’s existence.
In a statement made Monday, although not directly addressing the memo, the White House asserted: “For years, American taxpayers have been bearing the burden of subsidizing National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which disseminate radical, woke propaganda masquerading as ‘news.'” The statement included examples of what it described as “trash that passes as ‘news'” and an “intolerance of non-leftist perspectives.”
NPR is known for its award-winning news programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered, while PBS is recognized for its nightly PBS News Hour and top-tier children’s shows, like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Earlier this month, Trump took to social media to criticize the two leading public broadcasting networks, declaring in all caps: “REPUBLICANS MUST DEFUND AND COMPLETELY DISASSOCIATE FROM NPR & PBS, THE RADICAL LEFT ‘MONSTERS’ THAT HAVE HARMED OUR COUNTRY!”
President Trump is anticipated to recommend cutting $1.1 billion, which accounts for two years’ worth of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a congressionally chartered independent nonprofit entity that partly funds NPR and PBS.
This move seems to be inspired by a hearing held by a House Oversight subcommittee in late March, during which NPR and PBS leaders were called to testify about alleged bias in the networks’ news coverage against conservatives.
In response, NPR stated: “A cessation of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would severely impact American communities nationwide that rely on public radio for reliable local and national news, cultural content, emergency alerts, and public safety information.”
“We operate in the public interest. This is not merely a name; it is our mission. Throughout the nation, locally owned public media stations reflect a proud American tradition of collaboration between public and private entities for our shared benefit,” it added.
Paula Kerger, PBS CEO and president, remarked that the Trump administration’s attempt to cut public media funding would “disrupt the vital service PBS and local member stations provide to the American populace.”
“PBS embodies American values, and our work relies on the bipartisan support we’ve consistently received from Congress,” she continued. “This public-private collaboration enables us to help countless children succeed academically and in life, while also delivering enriching and inspiring high-quality programs.”
Accusations of political bias
At the hearing, leaders from public broadcasting emphasized their mission to deliver free, non-partisan news and content to all Americans.
However, some Republican legislators expressed frustration over what they perceived as biased reporting. “You can criticize us on your own dime,” stated Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, chair of the subcommittee that conducted the hearing. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., voiced his concerns regarding NPR’s coverage of his investments structured through a shell company.
Republicans criticized NPR’s head, Katherine Maher, for political statements she made on social media prior to becoming the network’s CEO and president in March 2024. Their inquiries largely centered on articles published before her tenure at NPR.
They also questioned PBS’s CEO, Paula Kerger, about a video featuring a drag performer singing a version of a children’s song for a younger audience. (Kerger testified that this video was shared on the PBS New York City member station’s website but was never broadcast on television.)
Both PBS and NPR serve localized content and reach over 99% of the population, providing services at no expense to viewers and listeners. In many areas, these stations play a crucial role in emergency response systems.
Congress allocated $535 million to the CPB for the current fiscal year — a figure reaffirmed in a recent stop-gap bill passed by the Republican-controlled U.S. House and Senate. The CPB’s budgets are determined by Congress on a two-year basis to protect it from political influences, with appropriated funds set to last until September 30, 2027.
Where public broadcasting’s funding originates
NPR obtains roughly 1% of its income directly from the federal government, with additional indirect funding; its 246 member organizations, which operate over 1,300 stations, receive approximately 8% to 10% of their finances from the CPB. In turn, these member stations pay NPR for airing its national programs. Conversely, PBS and its affiliates get about 15% of their revenues from the CPB.
The majority of CPB funding is allocated to local stations, primarily to support television, which is costlier than radio.
Removing such financial assistance would jeopardize smaller stations, public broadcasting executives testified, especially in rural areas and regions underserved by corporate media. This would also weaken the overall public media system. The head of Alaska Public Media testified that such funding is crucial for his state network and for amplifying his reporters’ stories.
“Without PBS, without NPR, stories — news stories, public affairs stories, community stories — from Alaska wouldn’t be heard,” remarked Alaska Public Media CEO and President Ed Ulman. “It’s essential for Alaskans to understand that they’re part of a larger nation, and that our work in Alaska matters to the rest of the country.”
A recent Pew Research Center survey discovered that 43% of U.S. adults surveyed favored continued federal support for NPR and PBS, while 24% preferred funding cuts. However, the political breakdown showed that 44% of Republicans supported ending federal funding for public broadcasters, whereas 69% of Democrats were in favor of its continuation.
Trump administration’s media outlet critiques
Throughout its 55-year existence, public broadcasting has predominantly benefited from bipartisan support, enabling it to withstand periodic conservative efforts to eliminate taxpayer financing.
However, recently, Brendan Carr, Trump’s appointee to lead the Federal Communications Commission, initiated an investigation into NPR and PBS, suggesting that their corporate sponsorships violate regulations against commercial advertising.
The networks assert that both the agency and Congress have repeatedly encouraged them to cultivate a greater share of private funding. They have diligently collaborated with the FCC to make certain that their sponsorship opportunities adhere to FCC stipulations. Other news organizations reliant on U.S. government support have also come under scrutiny in the early stages of the Trump administration.
In New York, a judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking presidential advisor Kari Lake’s attempt to shut down the federally funded Voice of America. In Washington, D.C., another judge ruled that the government must continue funding with which Congress had already committed to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
These lawsuits, among others, argue that Trump has overstepped the extensive powers of the presidency, infringing upon Congressional authority, violating due process, and compromising free speech rights.
Nonetheless, the White House has achieved previously unimaginable goals; representatives of Trump’s budget-cutting DOGE initiative, assisted by police from Washington, D.C., forcibly entered the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) to take control. While funded by Congress, the Institute operates as an independent nonprofit like the CPB.
Displaced employees of the USIP are now suing the Trump administration. U.S. Justice Department attorney Brian Hudak has stated in court that arrangements are underway to lease USIP headquarters to the U.S. Labor Department. Thus far, the judge overseeing this case has declined to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the transfer of assets to the government, although she remarked that the administration’s actions reflect a “bull in a china shop” approach.
Lake, who is also leading the effort to dismantle other federally funded international broadcasters, echoed Trump’s sentiments regarding NPR & PBS. “Defund ALL Fake News and Turn them Off,” she tweeted, referencing the March hearing as additional context.
Disclosure: This article was reported and written by NPR Correspondents David Folkenflik and Scott Neuman. It was edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editors Gerry Holmes and Vickie Walton-James. According to NPR’s reporting protocol, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before its public release.
