PBS Chief Slams Trump’s Move to Cut Funding to Public Broadcasters as ‘Unlawful’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a sharp rebuke Friday, PBS CEO Paula Kerger called former President Donald Trump’s latest executive order cutting federal funding to PBS and NPR “blatantly unlawful” and a direct threat to public access to educational programming.

Kerger said the order endangers PBS’s mission to serve the American public—a role it’s played for over five decades.

“We are currently exploring all options to allow PBS to continue to serve our member stations and all Americans,” she added.

Trump signed the order late Thursday, accusing PBS and NPR of spreading “radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.’” The directive instructs federal agencies and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to halt all funding to the public media giants and investigate any indirect public support they might receive.

The White House amplified the move on social media, stating that taxpayer money should not fund what it labeled biased media content.

In response, the CPB, which channels federal funds to local PBS and NPR stations, argued that it isn’t a federal agency and therefore not subject to the president’s directive. Just days earlier, Trump attempted to remove three of the CPB’s remaining five board members—a move the CPB swiftly challenged in court, saying it would paralyze the organization’s ability to function.

While PBS and NPR are national networks, most of the public funding flows directly to hundreds of local affiliate stations, many of which operate in small or rural communities. These stations often rely heavily on a mix of public funds, donations, and philanthropic grants to stay on the air. Experts warn that Trump’s proposal could cripple the smaller stations most dependent on federal support.

Although public broadcasting has faced repeated budget threats from Republican leaders over the years, local support often helped it weather those storms—few lawmakers want to be blamed for killing off a station in their own district. But many insiders view this current effort as the most serious existential threat the public media system has ever faced.

The funding cut is the latest in a string of aggressive moves by Trump’s administration to clamp down on institutions he perceives as hostile or left-leaning. Since taking office for a second term in January, Trump has removed leadership from major cultural institutions, including the Kennedy Center and the National Endowment for the Humanities, slashed arts and education grants, and sought to punish universities and law firms promoting diversity initiatives.

Just two weeks ago, the White House previewed a $9.1 billion package of proposed cuts—one that includes defunding the CPB altogether. That proposal has yet to be formally introduced in Congress.

Trump’s administration is also targeting U.S.-funded international news agencies like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, once seen as global models of independent journalism. Efforts to dismantle these outlets have sparked legal battles, with federal courts pushing back and suggesting that the administration may be exceeding its authority by withholding congressionally approved funding.