_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
President Trump is launching a full-scale offensive against taxpayer-funded media.
The administration has formally requested that Congress eliminate all federal support for NPR and PBS, accusing the outlets of liberal bias and misusing public funds. The proposed rescission plan targets $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), aiming to end what the White House calls a decades-long "grift" disguised as journalism.
The president is seeking to defund institutions that, in his view, use government dollars to push political agendas — and redirect spending toward American priorities.
_THE FACTS_
The Trump administration’s new rescission — the formal revocation of congressionally-mandated funds — plan will ask Congress to permanently eliminate $1.1 billion in funding for CPB, which supports NPR and PBS.
House and Senate Republicans previously expressed support for the plan, which requires only a simple majority to pass under the rescissions law.
The White House memo says CPB has a “lengthy history of anti-conservative bias” and points to “waste, fraud, and abuse” in its use of taxpayer funds.
Trump previously called for NPR and PBS to be “defunded by Congress, immediately.”
NPR’s CEO, Katherine Maher, once referred to Trump as a “fascist” and a “deranged racist” — comments she later walked back under congressional questioning.
NPR has a long history of left-wing activism disguised as journalism, from refusing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story to complaining about which color emojis white people use.
NPR and PBS say losing federal funds would hit hard, especially local stations that rely on government cash to stay afloat.
CPB’s $500 million budget bankrolls flagship shows like PBS NewsHour and props up hundreds of public stations nationwide.
_INSIGHTS_
By NPR’s own admission, they receive just one percent of their funding directly from the federal government, while PBS receives 15 percent. Both outlets defend their programming by pointing to coverage in rural areas and their focus on underreported stories.
But that argument has limits. In the US — unlike in many other countries — broadcast television and radio are free and supported by advertising. If PBS and NPR chose to, they could shift to a competitive model rather than relying on federal subsidies. And if they wanted to avoid scrutiny over that funding, aligning with one political party in a two-party system was a calculated risk.
