NPR Sues Trump Over Executive Order to Cut Federal Funding

NPR is suing President Trump over his government order to cease all federal funding for the nonprofit public broadcaster.

National Public Radio (NPR) is suing President Trump over his government order to stop federal funding for nonprofit broadcasters, together with NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in federal court docket in Washington, D.C.

According to NPR and three different public radio stations, Trump’s May 1 order violates the First Amendment’s protections of speech and the press, and undermines Congress’ authority. The order additionally “threatens the existence of a public radio system that millions of Americans across the country rely on for vital news and information.”

The government order “expressly aims to punish and control Plaintiffs’ news coverage and other speech the Administration deems ‘biased,’” wrote attorneys for NPR and three of its member stations: Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio, and KSUT Public Radio. “It cannot stand.”

The broadcasters are looking for to have Trump’s order completely blocked and declared unconstitutional, which intently follows NPR and PBS’ earlier vow to problem the chief order. According to Trump’s order, authorities funding of a information outlet is “outdated and unnecessary” in addition to “corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”

NPR employs lots of of journalists whose work is broadcast by greater than 1,000 native stations. Founded in 1970, NPR’s preliminary funding was largely allotted by Congress and delivered via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

That association was modified within the Nineteen Eighties when the Reagan Administration made cuts to public media funding. Now, the CPB sends federal cash to native member stations, who then buy NPR programming. Member station charges comprise 30% of NPR’s funding, whereas only one% of its income comes instantly from the federal authorities. According to NPR, the most important share of its funding—36%—comes from company sponsorships.

White House spokesman Harrison Fields informed CNBC that the CPB is “creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers’ dime.” But the broadcasters’ lawsuit argues that Congress acknowledges that the speech it helps with public funding “remains private—and thus fully protected from censorship, retaliation, or other forms of governmental interference.”

However, “the President—criticizing what he perceives as ‘bias’ in the award-winning journalism and cultural programming produced by NPR—has issued an executive order that thwarts Congress’ intent and the First Amendment rights of Plaintiffs to be free from the government’s attempts to control their private speech, and their rights to be free from retaliation aimed at punishing and chilling protected speech, journalistic activities, and expressive association,” wrote attorneys for the broadcasters. “The order is textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment.”

“It is evident from the president’s executive order, as well as statements released by the White House and prior statements by the president that we are being punished for our editorial choices,” stated NPR CEO Katherine Maher in an interview with All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly.

“What we see is at stake here is not just funding to NPR, we also see the risk of funding to all public media, as well as broader concerns around government interference with the free press,” she continued.

“The specifics of how this executive order concerns us have to do with the viability of public media stations. They air hours of NPR programming a day and very often, that is when they have their highest number of listeners, their greatest success during donation drives. If stations are unable to air NPR, we recognize that that could be catastrophic for their ability to continue to survive both editorially and financially.”