JUST IN: NPR editor-in-chief to step down

Editor-in-chief of NPR Edith Chapin has announced that she will step down from her position. This comes after the Trump administration passed spending cuts to public broadcasting and media.

Chapin made the announcement on Tuesday, and said, "I have had two big executive jobs for two years and I want to take a break. I want to make sure my performance is always top-notch for the company,” per NPR.

In a note to staff, NPR CEO Katherine Maher said of Chapin, "Edith has been an indispensable partner during my first year at NPR, a steady leader for a large part of this organization, and a fantastic collaborator as a member of the executive team."

Maher did no note other details about a plan for the network's transition plan or interim leadership at the outlet, but said those would be addressed later.

Chapin is expected to stay with the outlet until October. In her announcement, Chapin said that the choice was hers and not influenced by the recent cuts to the publicly funded news organization and had informed Maher two weeks ago.

"It's not a good time to do it, but it's never a good time," Chapin added in her announcement to staff. "I needed to pick a date and share my decision."

Last week, Congress passed a $9 billion spending cut in a recissions package targeting USAID programs as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The CPB cut amounted to $1 billion, and it is the parent organization for both NPR and PBS.

The cuts came after many Republicans have pointed to apparent left-wing bias at NPR, and have argued that taxpayer dollars should not be funding the outlet.