U.S. President Trump ordered the cessation of federal funding for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), citing biased reporting, which sparked intense controversy and legal challenges. (Background: Trump's son predicted 'banks will be eliminated in ten years': Without adopting cryptocurrency technology, financial services will quickly become worthless) (Context: Hundreds of American universities are at war with Trump! Harvard sues: Government severely infringes on 'academic independence' What exactly did Trump do?) On Thursday (May 1, 2025), U.S. President Trump signed an executive order aimed at completely terminating federal government funding for American public media, including the popular Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). The core reason for this order is that the Trump administration believes these two entities have failed to provide taxpayers with 'fair, accurate, or unbiased descriptions of current events.' In a social media post announcing this order, the media organizations were further accused of wasting taxpayer money: using millions of taxpayer dollars to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.' The executive order directly instructs the umbrella organization responsible for overseeing federal appropriations to PBS and NPR—the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)—to 'terminate existing direct funding to the maximum extent permitted by law and refuse future funding.' The order also requires CPB and other federal agencies to work together to identify and eliminate sources of indirect public financial support for these two news organizations, which is seen as the latest move by the Trump administration to use federal power to control or undermine institutions that oppose its views. Criticism of 'stifling diverse voices' The Trump administration accuses PBS and NPR of biased reporting, echoing long-standing criticisms from some Republicans. Georgia Republican Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to NPR and PBS as 'radical left' and 'communist' breeding grounds during a House hearing in March this year. Many Republican lawmakers believe that with the national debt exceeding $36 trillion, public broadcasting is a reasonable target for budget cuts, and considering its perceived liberal bias, cutting funding is appropriate. Trump himself stated in March that he was 'happy' to stop funding for NPR and PBS, deeming it 'very unfair' and biased. The executive order also mentions: Since the establishment of CPB nearly 60 years ago, the media landscape has changed dramatically. In this environment, government funding of news media is not only 'outdated and unnecessary' but also undermines the appearance of journalistic independence. This has prompted strong rebuttals from the leadership and supporters of PBS and NPR. They argue that in many markets, especially small towns and rural areas, public broadcasting remains an important source of local information. PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger emphasized during a congressional hearing in March that PBS provides content that commercial networks cannot find and stated last month that the Trump administration's attempt to withdraw funding would 'disrupt the essential services that PBS and local member stations provide to the American people.' Ed Ulman, CEO of Alaska Public Media, warned that funding cuts would have a devastating impact on small markets and rural stations like his, potentially forcing some stations to shut down; Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, also criticized the portrayal of public media as a propaganda machine unworthy of taxpayer support as a 'dangerous mischaracterization.' Trump's legal issues with the media Earlier this week, the Trump administration attempted to dismiss three of the five CPB board members (Tom Rothman, Diane Kaplan, Laura Gore Ross) but did not provide legal justification. CPB immediately filed a lawsuit in federal court, accusing President Trump of overstepping his authority, claiming his actions violate federal law and threaten the independence of public media. CPB argues that the organization was created by Congress as a private non-government entity, and its board members are not government officials who can be arbitrarily dismissed by the president. On Tuesday (April 29), a federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., Randolph D. Moss, issued a temporary restraining order, temporarily blocking Trump's attempt to dismiss the board members, and a full hearing is scheduled for May 14. The executive order attempts to directly cut CPB's funding to PBS and NPR, and its legal validity is also in question. CPB's funding primarily comes from congressional appropriations, and it has been authorized to receive $535 million in funding for each of the next two fiscal years. Legal experts point out that U.S. presidents typically do not have the authority to unilaterally withhold or freeze funds that Congress has approved. During Nixon's presidency, when he attempted to withhold funding for programs he disliked, courts repeatedly ruled his actions illegal (as seen in the 'Train v. New York' case). To completely eliminate funding for CPB, Congress would theoretically need to pass new legislation to repeal its authorization act or zero out its funding in the budget bill. Therefore, although Trump's executive order is forceful in wording, demanding to 'terminate funding to the maximum extent permitted by law,' the actual effect it can produce, and whether it will provoke more legal challenges, remains to be seen. The survival of public media The Trump administration's hostility toward public media has historical roots and is part of the long-standing policy direction of the Republican Party, even included in the 'Project 2025' blueprint developed by right-wing think tanks, which advocates for the complete elimination of CPB. In fact, the attempt to cut or eliminate public broadcasting funding dates back at least to the Nixon presidency, when dissatisfaction arose due to coverage of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. In the 1990s, then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich vowed to 'zero out' federal support for public broadcasting. During his first term, Trump also proposed to eliminate CPB funding each year, but Congress (regardless of which party was in control) rejected these proposals. Now that Trump has returned to the White House and also controls a majority in Congress, this threat appears particularly severe. While PBS and NPR emphasize their importance to local communities, especially rural areas, and their efforts to serve diverse audiences, U.S. public media is facing one of its most severe survival challenges since its establishment in 1967, amid direct orders from the White House and hostility from some congressional members.

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