Defunded and Shut Down NPR/PBS
Trump signed an executive order targeting NPR and PBS, calling them "radical left monsters." Congress then eliminated all $1.1 billion in public broadcasting funding, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it would shut down.
On May 2, 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing cuts to NPR and PBS. Congress subsequently passed legislation on a party-line vote (216-213) to eliminate all federal public broadcasting funding — $1.1 billion — for two years.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it would shut down, eliminating approximately 100 staff positions. Hundreds of local PBS and NPR stations across the country lost their federal funding, threatening service in rural and underserved communities that depend on public broadcasting for local news and emergency information.
Trump called NPR and PBS "RADICAL LEFT MONSTERS" — despite the fact that public broadcasting consistently ranks among the most trusted media institutions in America and serves communities across the political spectrum.
The cuts were framed as paying for immigration enforcement and tax cut extensions — defunding one of the most cost-effective public services in government (less than $1.50 per citizen per year) to subsidize other priorities. The move drew comparisons to authoritarian governments' attacks on independent media.