NPR sues Trump admin, calls funding cuts unconstitutional

A lawsuit from National Public Radio is challenging the Trump administration for federal cuts that it claims violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Ending federal funding for NPR has been a goal of Republicans for many years, but President Donald Trump followed through with an executive order issued on May 1 to end the support from taxpayers.

'Republicans, don’t miss this opportunity to rid our Country of this giant SCAM, both being arms of the Radical Left Democrat Party. JUST SAY NO AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!'

NPR and three local Colorado affiliates filed the lawsuit on Tuesday,

The lawsuit accused the president of violating free speech as well as usurping the federal funding power of Congress.

“The executive order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment’s protections for freedom of speech and association and freedom of the press,” said Katherine Maher, the CEO and president of NPR.

Trump lambasted NPR in a post on Truth Social in March.

“NPR and PBS, two horrible and completely biased platforms (Networks!), should be DEFUNDED by Congress, IMMEDIATELY,” the president wrote. “Republicans, don’t miss this opportunity to rid our Country of this giant SCAM, both being arms of the Radical Left Democrat Party. JUST SAY NO AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

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Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Critics say the president doesn't have the authority to cut off funding because it is directed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which was authorized by Congress but is a private corporation.

"This is retaliatory, viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has ruled numerous times over the past 80 years that the government does not have the right to determine what counts as 'biased,'" Maher continued.

"NPR will never agree to this infringement of our constitutional rights, or the constitutional rights of our member stations, and NPR will not compromise our commitment to an independent free press and journalistic integrity," she added.

Maher had been berated and grilled by members of Congress investigating the bias claims against NPR, as previously covered by Blaze News.

"Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage," said Trump in his executive order. "No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize."

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