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Trump Order Axes Federal Funds for NPR, PBS

President Trump is taking aim at Big Bird and the tote bag brigade, signing an executive order this week to yank federal funding from PBS and NPR. The move targets the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, telling it to stop funneling taxpayer dollars to the outlets, citing long-standing complaints about their left-leaning slant.

Critics have long argued that organizations like NPR and PBS push a specific political agenda while taking Americans’ hard-earned cash. Dan Schneider from the Media Research Center recently hammered this point home, accusing the taxpayer-funded giants of twisting the news.

Predictably, the taxpayer gravy train riders aren’t happy. PBS chief Paula Kerger called the order “unlawful,” whining about threats to kids’ programming. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which acts as the middleman for the federal funds, is even suing the administration, claiming Trump can’t tell them what to do. They’ve also launched a legal challenge over attempts to remove some of their board members.

This funding fight follows earlier action from Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who kicked off a probe back in January. Carr wanted to know if NPR and PBS were essentially running commercials disguised as “underwriting announcements,” potentially breaking federal rules. Both NPR and PBS claimed they were playing by the book, naturally.

While NPR and PBS get most of their money from other sources, the federal bucks via the CPB are still a significant chunk. Now, that chunk is on the chopping block. The battle lines are drawn: Should your taxes pay for news and shows many see as pushing a one-sided narrative? Trump says no.

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