Slocum said the decision was driven by the fact that several candidates for the senior news position have indicated interest in the CEO position; the two people would have to work closely. 

“It’s only fair that the CEO have a key role in selecting the [senior vice president] News and that the [senior vice president] News know who his or her long-term boss will be when coming into the position,” Slocum said.

“I know that we all want to fill these roles as quickly as possible with permanent leadership. At the same time, I think we all want to follow the best possible process for each of these enormously important hiring decisions. This approach will help accomplish both objectives.”

NPR has faced a strong political backlash over the two events that prompted the executives’ resignations. The House voted to defund the organization earlier this month and Senate Republicans have been searching for ways to do the same.

The White House has said it “strongly opposes” defunding NPR but stopped short of promising to veto the measure.