NPR sues Trump over executive order, cutting public media funding

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National Public Radio (NPR), alongside three Colorado-based member stations, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging President Trump’s Executive Order 14290—“Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media”—issued on May 1, 2025. The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and federal agencies to cease all funding for NPR and its television counterpart PBS.

Key Legal Claims and Stakes

The lawsuit contends that the order violates both the First Amendment and the separation of powers, asserting that the president lacks authority to withdraw funding that Congress has already appropriated. NPR argues that the move is clearly retaliatory, based on perceived “liberal bias”, and punishes the news organization for its editorial content.

The filing quotes President Trump’s April Truth Social post labeling NPR and PBS “Radical Left ‘Monsters”, asserting this demonstrates the order’s political motivation.

From a financial standpoint, NPR itself receives only about 1 % of its budget from CPB, while local stations rely on that funding for 8–19 % of their operations. A funding cut would endanger journalism infrastructure, emergency alerts, and community programming, the lawsuit notes.

Broader Context and Response

This litigation follows earlier legal opposition from CPB over board removals, and mirrors PBS’s separate lawsuit filed days later.

Media watchdogs like the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press argue the order “strikes at the heart of free speech”, reinforcing that only Congress, not the president, holds the power of the purse.

A DC federal judge is expected to review NPR’s motion for summary judgment, potentially setting a landmark precedent on executive authority versus media independence. This lawsuit spotlights a pivotal clash over public media funding, journalistic freedom, and constitutional checks and balances, with implications extending well beyond NPR’s network.