By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby issue the following directive:
Section 1. Purpose. National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) have long relied on taxpayer support through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). In contrast to 1967, the year CPB was established, the current media environment boasts a plethora of diverse and creative news outlets. In such an ecosystem, government funding for news media appears not only antiquated but also undermines the perception of journalistic impartiality.
At a minimum, Americans deserve assurance that any public broadcasting funded by their tax dollars adheres to standards of fairness, accuracy, and nonpartisan news coverage. No media organization holds a constitutional claim to taxpayer subsidies, and the government retains the authority to determine which activities merit financial support. The CPB’s governing statutes emphasize impartiality: it is prohibited from “contributing to or otherwise supporting any political party.” 47 U.S.C. 396(f)(3); see also id. 396(e)(2).
However, the CPB strays from these foundational principles by continuing to subsidize NPR and PBS. The specific viewpoints these entities promote are less significant than the fact that they fail to deliver a fair, accurate, and unbiased representation of current events to taxpaying citizens.
Therefore, I instruct the CPB Board of Directors (CPB Board) and all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to terminate federal funding for NPR and PBS.
Sec. 2. Instructions to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (a) The CPB Board shall halt direct funding to NPR and PBS, aligning with my Administration’s policy aimed at preventing federal funds from supporting biased and partisan news coverage. The CPB Board is to cancel existing direct funding to the fullest extent allowed by law and will refrain from providing future funding.
(b) The CPB Board shall also eliminate indirect funding to NPR and PBS, ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not utilize federal funds for NPR and PBS. To implement this directive, the CPB Board shall revise the 2025 Television and Radio Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria, prohibiting any direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS, before June 30, 2025. To the extent permissible under the 2024 Television and Radio Community Service Grants provisions and applicable law, the CPB Board will also restrict parties governed by these provisions from funding NPR or PBS following this order. Additionally, the CPB Board shall take all necessary measures to minimize or eliminate indirect funding of NPR and PBS.
Sec. 3. Instructions to Other Agencies. (a) The heads of all agencies shall identify and terminate any direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.
(b) After executing the actions specified in subsection (a), agency heads shall locate any remaining grants, contracts, or funding agreements with NPR or PBS and assess compliance with the terms of those agreements. Should any noncompliance be identified, the head of the relevant agency will take appropriate actions as dictated by the terms of the agreement.
(c) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ascertain whether “the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio (or any successor organization)” are adhering to the statutory mandate that “no person shall be subjected to discrimination in employment . . . on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.” 47 U.S.C. 397(15), 398(b). If noncompliance is found, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall initiate suitable corrective measures.
Sec. 4. Severability. Should any provision of this order or its application to any agency, person, or circumstance be deemed invalid, the remaining provisions and their application to other agencies, persons, or circumstances shall remain unaffected.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget concerning budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be executed in accordance with applicable law and contingent upon the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order does not create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other individual.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 1, 2025.
