ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday targeting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), directing it to eliminate federal funding for public radio NPR and public broadcaster PBS "to the maximum extent allowed by law."

The move escalates Trump’s longstanding campaign against what he calls "biased" public media.

The order, posted on the White House website, claims the publicly funded outlets "use taxpayer dollars to produce left-wing propaganda," specifically citing their coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden and favorite target for conservatives.

"Cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law," the order reads, further instructing all federal agencies to halt any indirect support for programming affiliated with NPR or PBS.

The executive action could disrupt public broadcasting infrastructure, especially in rural areas, although its immediate effects remain uncertain, according to The New York Times.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding is typically allocated two years in advance by Congress, a safeguard intended to shield it from political influence.

NPR responded in a statement Friday: "Eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would have a devastating impact on American communities across the nation that rely on public radio for trusted local and national news, culture, lifesaving emergency alerts and public safety information."

PBS has yet to release an official response, though in a recent PBS NewsHour interview, CEO Paula Kerger emphasized the outlet’s independence: "This is different than many other public broadcasters around the world, which are largely state-supported. We are not."

Save Big Bird'

Roughly 15% of PBS’s $373 million budget comes from federal appropriations, while NPR receives only about 1% of its total funding from the government, the Times said.

Local member stations, which rely heavily on public broadcasting grants, may face the most serious repercussions, it added.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private nonprofit chartered by Congress in 1967, sued the Trump administration earlier this week, alleging unlawful attempts to remove three board members without cause.

Congressional Republicans have frequently accused public broadcasters of partisan bias. In March, a contentious hearing saw GOP lawmakers question NPR and PBS leaders over editorial practices.

Conservatives have targeted public broadcasting for decades, despite the service’s emphasis on fine arts, science, and non-commercial educational programming, all in scarce supply on streaming and cable TV. In years past, defenders of public broadcasting fought back defunding efforts with slogans of “Save Big Bird,” citing the popular Sesame Street character, but Trump seems more determined than his predecessors to cut even hugely popular government spending.

Trump’s new order also urges Congress to claw back over $1 billion already allocated to the CPB for the next two years.