Posted 6/21/2025

President Trump signed an executive order on May 1, 2025, entitled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media." The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease funding for NPR (National Public Radio) and PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). The CPB is charged with disbursing grants to public broadcasters in the U.S. Many have characterized the move by President Trump as a retaliatory measure, as he claimed their news coverage is not fair or accurate and they receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda. The Trump Administration also argues that funding for news media is corrosive to journalistic independence. PBS promptly sued, arguing that a half-century-old law forbids President Trump from attempting to be "serving as the arbiter" of programming. The law PBS' lawyers are referring to is the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which established the CPB as a buffer to insulate programming decisions from political influence. When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act into law, he was quoted as saying, "we want most of all to enrich man's spirit." In 1964, there were calls for bolstering education in general and broadcasting dedicated to enhancing education. The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 amended the Communications Act of 1934 by extending and improving its provisions. The Trump Administration has been seeking ways to cut government spending and improve efficiency, at least in some sectors. The House has already approved a rescission to recoup funds previously allocated to the CPB, expecting to save 1.1 billion dollars over 2 years. However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is projected to increase the national debt by 3 trillion dollars over 10 years. Public broadcasting serves to disseminate public safety alerts through the Emergency Alert System, and the Trump Administration has yet to offer an alternative. Other ramifications of the funding cuts are job losses, programming reductions, and station closures - especially in rural areas. Sesame Street, a television landmark produced by Sesame Workshop, made a deal moving the program to Netflix. The deal would also keep Sesame Street on PBS for the time being.