CEO Says CPB Is Not Under The President's Control

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is contesting President Donald Trump’s Thursday evening, executive order to eliminate federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), arguing that the president lacks legal authority over the nonprofit organization.

“CPB is not a federal executive agency under the President’s control,” stated CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison on May 2, 2025. “Congress established CPB as an independent, private nonprofit corporation, free from federal government oversight.”

Patricia Harrison

Harrison referenced the 1967 Communications Act, which created CPB and explicitly bars any federal entity from directing or controlling educational broadcasting, CPB, or its grantees and contractors.

Signed aboard Air Force One en route to Florida, the executive order directs CPB to halt direct funding to NPR and PBS, instructs federal agencies to terminate all support for the networks, and calls for revising CPB’s 2025 General Provisions to enforce the ban. A White House fact sheet claims the order seeks to stop NPR and PBS from using taxpayer funds for “partisanship and left-wing propaganda” to the fullest extent legally possible.

The order also mandates federal departments to review and cancel grants or contracts involving NPR and PBS and tasks the Federal Communications Commission and other agencies with probing the networks for alleged unlawful discrimination.

NPR and PBS rely on diverse funding, including private donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants, with CPB funds comprising a small but vital portion of their budgets, particularly for local public radio and TV stations dependent on CPB grants for operations.

The executive order is expected to face legal challenges regarding executive overreach and Congress’s authority over federal appropriations.