Trump signed an executive order that seeks to end federal funding for NPR and PBS. He accused them of “left-wing propaganda.”
The outlets receive only a small portion of their funding from Congress, with the rest coming from donors and sponsors.
The immediate impact of the order was unclear. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a taxpayer-backed, private entity created by an act of Congress, is funded two years in advance to protect it from political maneuvering.
Mr. Trump’s executive order is “blatantly unlawful,” Paula Kerger, the president and chief executive of PBS, said in a statement on Friday. “We are currently exploring all options to allow PBS to continue to serve our member stations and all Americans,” she added.
“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,” the statement said.
Ms. Kerger, the PBS chief executive, said in an interview that aired this week that about 15 percent of the overall budget for public broadcasters comes from the federal government.