Trump Cuts $535M Public Media Funding, Ends $23M PBS Grant; OAN to Provide VOA Newsfeed Free-of-Charge

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Updated May 8, 2025, 01:45 AM

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and other federal agencies to cease federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), citing alleged bias in their reporting. The order also instructs agencies to eliminate indirect sources of public financing for these organizations.

The Department of Education has terminated the Ready To Learn grant program, resulting in a loss of $23 million that would have supported children's educational programming and online games on PBS, including shows such as 'Sesame Street,' 'Reading Rainbow,' and 'Clifford the Big Red Dog.' The CPB, which receives about $535 million annually from taxpayers, and public media outlets have stated their intention to challenge the executive order and grant termination in court, with PBS CEO Paula Kerger calling the move 'blatantly unlawful' and NPR CEO Katherine Maher vowing to challenge the order using all means available. They argue that only Congress has the authority to alter their funding.

Public broadcasting stations, particularly in rural and underserved communities, are appealing to their audiences for support. For example, Nevada-based public media stations have received nearly $3.9 million in federal funding in fiscal year 2024, with federal support accounting for a significant portion of their budgets.

Separately, Kari Lake, a senior adviser at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services free-of-charge to USAGM outlets, including Voice of America (VOA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), and Radio Martí. This follows the suspension of most VOA staff and the cancellation of contracts with major news agencies. Kari Lake put nearly the entire VOA workforce on indefinite leave. The addition of OAN has been criticized by current and former USAGM and VOA staff, who argue that it undermines the networks' missions of independent, non-partisan journalism.

Legal challenges are ongoing, with lawsuits filed by public media organizations and employees contesting both the funding cuts and the restructuring of government-funded media outlets. Congressional and court actions are expected to play a decisive role in determining the future of federal support for public broadcasting and the editorial direction of USAGM networks. Details of the VOA lawsuit remain pending.

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