CPB President Patricia Harrison and PBS President Paula Kerger have voiced strong opposition to Trump's recent actions aimed at blocking funding for public media networks. Harrison asserts that CPB operates as a private nonprofit, independent from presidential control, while Kerger describes the order as "blatantly unlawful" and a threat to the educational programming provided by PBS. Both leaders emphasize the critical role public media plays, especially in rural areas, where it serves as a key news source and emergency broadcast outlet. They are considering options to safeguard the organizations' mission and services.
CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the president's authority," Harrison said. "Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.
Issued in the middle of the night, Trump's order "threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years," Kerger said.
Cutting off funding, Kreger said last month, would have a "devastating impact" on rural communities, especially in parts of the country where NPR and PBS still serve as "the only source of news and emergency broadcasts."
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