Trump signs order that aims to cut funding to NPR, PBS
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Both NPR and PBS have previously said that Mr Trump's effort to cut their funding would disrupt essential media services.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Mr Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to cut funding to news outlets National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the White House said, marking the US President's latest attempt to use federal funding as leverage against institutions he does not view favourably.
The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes funding to PBS and NPR stations, to “cease direct funding” to them, according to the order's text released by the White House late on May 1.
It labelled the news outlets as partisan and biased.
“The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding,” the order says.
Both NPR and PBS have previously said that Mr Trump's effort to cut their funding would disrupt essential media services and have a “devastating impact” on Americans who rely on them for credible local and national news, including during emergency situations.
The Trump administration has labelled multiple institutions in academia and the media industry – from Harvard and Columbia universities to NPR and PBS – as being leftist, Marxist, biased and woke, and threatened funding cuts.
Human rights advocates have raised concerns over free speech and academic freedom.
Since taking office in January, Mr Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk have gone on a cost-cutting drive that has resulted in the gutting and attempted dismantling of various agencies
The Trump administration also sought to shut down Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, whose news broadcasts are funded by the government.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration in late April to halt those efforts.
The May 1 order by Mr Trump also aims to suspend indirect funding for NPR and PBS by asking the CPB to ensure “that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not use federal funds for NPR and PBS”.
The CPB sued the White House on April 28 after Mr Trump sought to fire three of its five board members.
The non-profit corporation was created by Congress in 1967 and provides funding for more than 1,500 locally managed public radio and TV stations.
Several media outlets have reported the White House plans to ask Congress to rescind US$1.1 billion (S$1.44 billion) in funding for the CPB, with the amount being two years' worth of funding.
NPR has more than 900 employees, according to its website. The exact employee count at PBS was not immediately clear, though a media report said it had over 550 staffers at the end of 2022. REUTERS
