The PBS Guam studios on Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Mangilao.
HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on May 1 ending the use of taxpayer dollars to fund National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. And while at the national level, organizations are clapping back contending that Congress has the final say, one local senator told the Post, the proposed defunding will need to be considered in local budget talks with PBS Guam.
A fact sheet from The White House said the order ceases federal funding as well as indirect funding to PBS and NPR by mandating that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting revise its 2025 general provisions to “explicitly prohibit direct or indirect funding.”
What does this mean for PBS Guam?
It’s hard to say at this point, according to Sen. Vincent Borja, the chair of the legislative Committee on Education, Libraries and Public Broadcasting, who that noted he had just begun reviewing Trump’s executive order Sunday morning.
“Obviously, it’s of concern because that is going to affect PBS on Guam. I think what’s important is we have to meet with (Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero) and get her position and then, of course, within the Legislature, we have to look at the funding,” Borja said.
Trump’s EO comes with allegations that NPR and PBS have “fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars,” a misuse of taxpayer’s money according to the president.
According to the White House, Trump is “safeguarding taxpayer dollars.”
“President Trump is working to ensure taxpayer dollars are no longer wasted on progressive pet projects, but rather used to benefit hardworking Americans,” the White House EO fact sheet said.
On April 16, PBS News Hour reported that Trump plans on asking Congress to defund the organizations, noting that financial disclosures show that CPB funding constitutes about 13% of local media stations’ revenue.
PBS CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement that the loss of funding “would devastate PBS member stations and the essential role they play in communities, particularly smaller and rural stations who rely on federal funding for a larger portion of their budgets,” according to the PBS News Hour report.
According to CPB, Congress has final say over any cuts to federal funding NPR and PBS receive.
Borja noted that upon hearing “rumors” in Washington, D.C., of impending federal cuts to PBS and with the EO signed, he recognized it will need to be addressed in the local budget.
“It’s definitely something as we move towards budget discussion, obviously,” Borja said. “If it’s something that’s the priority of the Legislature and the executive branch, then we’re going to have to figure out where that money is going to come from. Obviously, we kind of work based on the budget submitted by the governor and, obviously, I don’t think she was expecting a cut, so we’re definitely going to have to come back to the drawing table.”
The senator will be reaching out to the governor, PBS Guam and national partners.
“I will be reaching out to PBS. I can schedule a meeting this week and then also reach out to the governor as well,” Borja said. “I’ll see where she’s at in regards to how she plans to proceed and what type of support we may look for in the Legislature in regards to where that funding to cover the shortfall is going to come from.”
He also said he would be reaching out to CPB for insight on their stance on Trump’s EO and to Guam Delegate James Moylan as well.
“To kind of see what they’re their tracking at the Congress level in regards to their direction. We’re going to hope, you know, and that’s part of the pressure. I think that Speaker Frank Blas Jr. said it perfectly last week. At the end of the day, we’re not here to toe the line in regards to the national agenda. What’s important is the people that we represent. We got to look at the priority of the government and look at where this falls in line with the governor as well,” Borja said.
Over the weekend, the Office of the Governor was unable to comment on the president’s EO, but did note that the PBS board would need to address the issue.
