# Trump Orders End to Federal Funding for NPR and PBS, Citing Bias

## Trump Orders End to Federal Funding for NPR and PBS, Citing Bias

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at defunding National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), arguing that government funding of news media is “corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.” The order, signed on Thursday, directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease all direct and indirect funding to the two organizations, effectively cutting off a critical source of revenue.

The executive order argues that the CPB is obligated to remain impartial and unbiased, and that its continued funding of NPR and PBS violates this principle. According to the order, it’s not about *which* viewpoints are being promoted, but rather that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.

This move comes after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr launched an investigation earlier this year into NPR and PBS for allegedly violating FCC guidelines by airing commercials. NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher refuted these allegations, stating that NPR has worked closely with the FCC for decades to ensure compliance with federal regulations.

While the executive order focuses on perceived bias, Trump has also publicly voiced stronger sentiments against NPR and PBS, labeling them “RADICAL LEFT ‘MONSTERS’” on his Truth Social platform and urging Republicans to defund and dissociate from them.

The order’s impact could be significant, despite the relatively small percentage of direct government funding NPR and PBS receive. NPR reports that approximately one percent of its funding comes directly from the government, with slightly more coming indirectly. Local stations receive a higher percentage, between 8 and 10 percent. PBS and its stations are estimated to receive around 15 percent of their funding from the government, reflecting the higher production costs associated with television programming.

Interestingly, while targeting NPR and PBS for alleged bias, the Trump administration has also launched its own news aggregation platform, “The White House Wire.” Described by *Axios* as a Drudge Report-style aggregator of positive Trump media coverage, the White House Wire aims to provide Trump supporters with a “one-stop shop for news.” This move raises questions about the administration’s definition of journalistic independence and objectivity in the current media landscape.