NPR Sues Trump: Funding Block Threatens Newsroom Closures

National Public Radio (NPR) has filed a lawsuit against former President Trump, challenging his administration’s decision to block federal funding for public broadcasting. NPR argues that this move is an unconstitutional act of retaliation and could force the organization to shutter newsrooms and significantly reduce its news coverage.

Trump’s Executive Order Sparks Legal Battle

The legal action comes in response to Trump’s May 1st executive order, titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” which directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and all US agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS. The White House previously accused NPR and PBS of spreading “radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.'”

NPR Alleges Unconstitutional Overreach

Filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, NPR’s lawsuit asserts that Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional. The lawsuit states that the President lacks the authority to override Congress’s spending decisions and that the order violates the separation of powers and the Spending Clause of the Constitution.

Furthermore, NPR argues that the executive order infringes upon the First Amendment, constituting “textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination.” The lawsuit claims the order interferes with NPR’s freedom of expressive association and editorial discretion.

According to NPR, the order implies that future federal funding is contingent upon aligning journalistic and editorial choices with the government’s preferences.

Local Stations Join the Fight

Three Colorado-based stations, which also receive federal funding, have joined NPR in the lawsuit. Trump’s executive order prohibits public radio and television stations from using federal funds to purchase NPR and PBS programming.

Besides Trump, the lawsuit names the Office of Management and Budget, the Treasury Department, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the CPB as defendants. NPR seeks court orders to prevent the NEA and CPB from withholding funding based on the executive order.

The lawsuit emphasizes that the executive order “threatens the existence of a public radio system that millions of Americans across the country rely on for vital news and information.”

Funding Loss Deemed “Catastrophic”

NPR warns that the loss of federal funding and fees from stations acquiring NPR programming would be “catastrophic.” Membership and licensing fees from local stations account for approximately 31 percent of NPR’s operating revenue, with additional funding from the CPB supporting coverage of specific issues, such as the war in Ukraine.

The organization fears that the funding cuts could lead to the closure or downsizing of collaborative newsrooms and rural reporting initiatives, as well as the elimination or scaling back of critical national and international coverage.

NPR also notes that the NEA terminated a grant award to NPR one day after Trump’s executive order, signaling compliance with the order and rendering NPR ineligible for future grants.

NPR contends that the executive order contradicts a statutory requirement that stations use “restricted” funds to acquire or produce programming distributed nationally.

The lawsuit argues that local stations would be forced to divert funds to acquire alternative national programming and allocate additional non-federal funds to continue acquiring NPR’s programming.