The Trump administration and the press: the end of federal money for NPR and PBS

The White House then acted on its own. In April, three CPB board members were told in emails from the White House that they had been "terminated," and the corporation sued, arguing that Trump did not have the authority to remove them.^[8] On May 1, Trump signed an executive order directing CPB and federal agencies to end funding for NPR and PBS.^[1][9] "CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority," its president, Patricia Harrison, said.^[1] NPR sued later that month, arguing that the order targeted its news coverage and violated the Constitution, and PBS and Lakeland PBS, a member station in northern Minnesota, filed their own suit days later.^[9][10]

The administration also asked Congress to take the money back. In June it sent lawmakers a request to claw back the $1.1 billion in public broadcasting funds Congress had approved earlier in the year, along with cuts to foreign aid.^[11] Congress approved the cuts in July, with the House voting 216 to 213.^[2] In August, CPB said it would wind down, run out of money on September 30 and lay off most of its staff.^[5] The loss left some 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations to work out how to cope.^[12] In September, NPR asked a federal judge to stop CPB from awarding a $57.9 million grant to a new consortium to operate the satellite that connects the public radio system.^[13] The CPB board voted in January 2026 to dissolve the organization after 58 years.^[3]

The court fight over the executive order continued separately. In March 2026, a federal judge permanently blocked the administration from carrying out the order, ruling that it crossed a line the First Amendment draws against viewpoint discrimination.^[4]