Donald Trump has signed an executive directive to reduce funding for news organizations NPR and PBS. The White House announced this. This is the latest attempt by the U.S. President to use federal funds as leverage to target institutions he doesn’t like.

The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which allocates funds to PBS and NPR stations, to “cease direct funding” to those outlets, according to the text released by the White House late Thursday. It accuses both organizations of being partisan and biased in their reporting.

The order states that “CPB Board refuses to provide any future funding and will discontinue direct funds up to the maximum permitted by law.”

Both NPR and PBS have previously said that Trump’s effort to cut their funding would disrupt essential media services and have a “devastating impact” on Americans who rely on them for credible local and national news, including during emergencies.

Trump has criticized several institutions, including Harvard University, Columbia University, NPR, and PBS, for being Marxists and leftists. He called them biased and woke. Human rights activists are worried about academic freedom and the right to free expression.

Since January, when Trump took office, he and Elon, a billionaire friend of his, have cut costs. As a result, various agencies were dismantled and attempted to be dismantled, and over 200,000 federal employees were terminated and laid off.

In late April, a federal judge ordered that the Trump administration cease its efforts to shut down Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, whose news broadcasts are funded by the government.

Thursday’s order by Trump also seeks to halt indirect funding for NPR and PBS by directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to ensure that federal funds are not used by public radio and television stations, or any CPB grant recipients, to support those organizations.

CPB filed a suit after Trump attempted to remove three board members. This nonprofit corporation, founded by Congress in 1967, provides funding to more than 1,500 public TV and radio stations.

According to reports, the White House is planning to ask Congress to fund the CPB with $1.1 billion. That’s the equivalent of 2 years of funding.

NPR’s website states that it has over 900 employees. Although PBS staffing numbers were not available immediately, media reports indicated the station had more than 500 workers in 2022.