1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

The President's executive order to defund NPR and PBS is an alarming overreach of executive authority. Public broadcasting plays a vital role in providing unbiased news, educational programming, and essential services to communities across the country. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was established as an independent, non-partisan entity by Congress precisely to insulate it from political interference. Attempting to pull federal funding from these institutions undermines their editorial independence and threatens the free press principles enshrined in the First Amendment. Noncommercial, public-serving media outlets like NPR and PBS are crucial sources of reliable information, especially in an era of rampant misinformation and partisan division. Their programming enriches civic discourse, fosters an informed citizenry, and gives voice to diverse perspectives often overlooked by commercial media. Defunding these invaluable public resources would do a disservice to the American people and democratic ideals. This order contravenes the statutory framework Congress enacted to protect public broadcasting from government meddling. It represents an egregious violation of the separation of powers and a direct attack on the free press. Maintaining robust public media institutions, independent from political pressures, should be a non-partisan priority. I urge you to take immediate action to protect federal funding for NPR, PBS, and their local affiliates in accordance with the law and principles of a free society.