NPR Files Federal Lawsuit Against Trump Over First Amendment Attack on Public Broadcasting

 

NPR Sues Donald Trump Over Authoritarian Executive Order Slashing Public Broadcasting Funds

National Public Radio (NPR) has filed a major federal lawsuit against Donald Trump after he issued an executive order targeting funding for public broadcasting — a brazen attack on the First Amendment and a disturbing step toward authoritarianism.

And it gets even more serious…

“NPR will never agree to this infringement of our constitutional rights, or the rights of our Member stations,” said NPR CEO Katherine Maher. “We will not compromise our commitment to an independent free press and journalistic integrity.” She called Trump’s executive order “unlawful.”

Trump, in a move widely seen as retaliatory, signed the order earlier this month directing the Republican-led Congress to slash funding for NPR and PBS — simply because they report facts rather than MAGA propaganda. Any outlet that refuses to amplify his narrative is seen as a threat to his grip on power.

Filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., the lawsuit argues that the order "flatly contravenes statutes duly enacted by Congress and violates the Separation of Powers and the Spending Clause by disregarding Congress’s express commands." It also claims the order is a clear violation of the First Amendment’s protections of free speech and a free press.

"The Order’s objectives could not be clearer," the lawsuit states. "It aims to punish NPR for producing news and programming the President dislikes — and to intimidate public media into silence across the country."

This is a defining moment. If Trump is allowed to gut press freedom and silence truth-telling institutions, the damage to our democracy may be irreversible. We must draw the line now — and demand accountability.

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