by Jennifer Shutt, Arkansas Advocate
May 27, 2025

WASHINGTON — A collection of National Public Radio stations sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, seeking to block an executive order that would cut off their federal funding.

The 43-page filing says the order that President Donald Trump signed earlier this month “violates the expressed will of Congress and the First Amendment’s bedrock guarantees of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association, and also threatens the existence of a public radio system that millions of Americans across the country rely on for vital news and information.”

The executive order called on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which receives its funding from Congress, to cease sending money to the Public Broadcasting Service and NPR.

The order stated that government funding for public media “is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”

The Trump administration also appeared to take issue with the types of news stories that PBS and NPR report, arguing “that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.”

‘Viewpoint-based discrimination’

The lawsuit says the executive order has an “overt retaliatory purpose” and “is unlawful in multiple ways.”

“The Order is textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment, and it interferes with NPR’s and the Local Member Stations’ freedom of expressive association and editorial discretion,” the lawsuit states. “Lastly, by seeking to deny NPR critical funding with no notice or meaningful process, the Order violates the Constitution’s Due Process Clause.”

The lawsuit was filed by NPR along with three Colorado stations — Aspen Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio and KSUT Public Radio — in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case has been assigned to Judge Randolph D. Moss, who was nominated by then-President Barack Obama.

White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields wrote in a statement that the “Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers’ dime.

“Therefore, the President is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding to NPR and PBS. The President was elected with a mandate to ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and he will continue to use his lawful authority to achieve that objective.”

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is funded by Congress and in turn provides grants to more than 1,500 public radio and television stations throughout the United States, was established as a private “nonprofit corporation” and is not “an agency or establishment of the United States Government,” according to the lawsuit.

Power of the purse

Congress has consistently approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on a bipartisan basis, including its current $535 million appropriation.

The lawsuit contends that the “loss of all direct funding from CPB and the loss (or significant decline) of revenue from local stations would be catastrophic for NPR.”

It also states the president “has no authority under the Constitution to” interfere in funding decisions made by lawmakers.” 

“On the contrary, the power of the purse is reserved to Congress, and the President has no inherent authority to override Congress’s will on domestic spending decisions,” the lawsuits says. “By unilaterally imposing restrictions and conditions on funds in contravention of Congress, the Order violates the Separation of Powers and the Spending Clause of the Constitution.”

Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.

The post NPR sues over Trump order cutting off its funding, citing First Amendment appeared first on arkansasadvocate.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article highlights the conflict between National Public Radio (NPR) and the Trump administration regarding federal funding cuts. It presents NPR’s lawsuit in defense of press freedoms and constitutional limits on executive power, framing the Trump executive order as retaliatory and legally questionable. The coverage leans slightly left by emphasizing the importance of public media and constitutional protections while portraying the administration’s move as politically motivated and potentially harmful to journalistic independence. The balanced inclusion of the White House’s justification provides some centrist context, but the overall tone favors protection of public broadcasting and critique of the Trump administration’s action, placing it in the center-left range.

SUMMARY: Cheryl Tillman, mayor of Gateway, Arkansas, and sister of James Appleton, whose death involved former police chief Grant Hardin, spoke about the reopening of painful wounds after Hardin’s prison escape. Tillman recalled the 2017 city council firing of Hardin and expressed frustration over unanswered questions about her brother’s murder. The traumatic event deeply affected the town, with first responders describing the crime scene as horrific and unprecedented. Renewed community fear has prompted increased police patrols. Mayor Tillman urges residents to remain vigilant and keep their doors locked as authorities continue searching for Hardin, emphasizing the lasting impact on the small town.

Sister of James Appleton speaks out about Hardin escape.

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SUMMARY: More than 36 hours after escaping from prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, convicted murderer and rapist Grant Harden remains at large. Harden, a former police chief serving 50 years for first-degree murder and rape, is considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached. Law enforcement across Isert County, including local, state, and federal agencies, are conducting searches with checkpoints, drones, and K9 units. The Arkansas Department of Corrections is reviewing surveillance footage and protocols to understand the escape. Harden’s violent criminal history includes a 2017 murder plea and a 1997 rape confession, alongside decades in law enforcement roles.

The search continues for escaped inmate Grant Hardin, a former police chief who fled the North Central Unit in Arkansas on Sunday.

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