NPR, Colorado Public Radio Sue Trump Over Funding Cuts

National Public Radio (NPR) and several Colorado public radio stations have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging an executive order that directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease federal funding to NPR and PBS. The plaintiffs argue that the order, motivated by President Trump's view that NPR and PBS are biased, violates the First Amendment by retaliating against protected press freedom and usurping Congress's authority over federal funding. NPR CEO Katherine Maher and the Colorado stations emphasize that their mission is to provide independent, fact-based journalism and that the order threatens the constitutional protections that allow them to hold those in power accountable. The Trump administration has accused NPR and PBS of promoting left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars, while NPR rejects these claims as retaliatory and viewpoint-based discrimination. The lawsuit names President Trump and several administration officials as defendants and underscores that the funding cuts undermine the longstanding congressional intent to support public broadcasting as essential to democracy and education.