The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Incident

United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025

United StatesRSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180

Engraving of an empty press briefing room with a lectern and rows of chairs

On May 1, 2025, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed Executive Order 14290, "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media." It directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private non-profit corporation created by the United States Congress in 1967 to distribute federal money to public radio and television, and federal agencies to stop funding NPR and PBS, the country's non-profit public radio and television networks. The order says public funding for news is "not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence." NPR and PBS said the president cannot cut funding that Congress has appropriated to CPB.1

What happened

On May 1, 2025, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed Executive Order 14290, titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media." An executive order is a written directive through which the president manages the federal government. The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and federal agencies to end direct and indirect funding of NPR and PBS. It says the two networks violate the requirement of balanced coverage in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, the United States law that created CPB.1234

NPR and PBS said CPB is a private, congressionally chartered non-profit and that decisions on federal funding rest with Congress, the national legislature, not with the president. Both said they would contest the order rather than comply voluntarily.1234

Later in 2025, Congress took separate action on public broadcasting funds, including moves to take back money it had already appropriated to CPB.1234

Status as of 2026-09-22: In effect. NPR and PBS say the order is not self-executing and have contested it; disputes over CPB funding continued through 2025 through separate action by Congress.4

What reason was given

Stated justification

The order says public funding for news programming is "not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence." The accompanying White House fact sheet said, "Neither entity presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizens."2

What changed for reporting

The order directs CPB and federal agencies to stop funding NPR and PBS, whose member stations include smaller rural and tribal stations that rely most heavily on CPB grants for their operating budgets.3

Timeline

2025

1 May 2025
United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025

Who acted

NameRole in this incidentOffice at the time
Donald TrumporderedPresident of the United States
United States CongressotherFederal legislature

Outlets and journalists

NameKindRelation
NPRoutletaffected
PBSoutletaffected

Sources

  1. Trump's attacks on press freedom escalate: NPR, PBS funding cuts explained archived copyACLU, 2025-05-02, reporting. Source record
  2. Executive Order 14290Wikipedia, reporting. Source record
  3. Trump says he's ending federal funding for NPR and PBS. They say he can'tNPR, 2025-05-02, reporting. Source record

Claims and evidence

Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.

  1. Trump signed Executive Order 14290.Executive Order 14290, titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media", is an executive order signed by U.S. president Donald Trump on May 1, 2025Executive Order 14290, Wikipedia.Claim 36, checked 2026-09-22.
  2. The order and White House fact sheet said funding was "corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence" and that NPR and PBS present coverage that is not "fair, accurate or unbiased."not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independenceExecutive Order 14290, Wikipedia.Claim 37, checked 2026-09-22.
  3. The order directs agencies and CPB to stop funding NPR and PBS.Neither entity presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizensTrump says he's ending federal funding for NPR and PBS. They say he can't, NPR, 2025-05-02.Claim 38, checked 2026-09-22.
  4. NPR and PBS said the president cannot unilaterally cut CPB's congressionally appropriated funding.CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.Trump says he's ending federal funding for NPR and PBS. They say he can't, NPR, 2025-05-02.Claim 39, checked 2026-09-22.