Latest news with #AdministrativeProcedureAct
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois AG joins lawsuit to stop federal cuts to science, research programs
CHICAGO, Ill. (WCIA) — The Attorneys General of 16 states, including Illinois, are taking the Trump administration to court in an attempt to stop his cuts to National Science Foundation (NSF) programs. In the lawsuit he and the coalition filed, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is seeking a court order to block the implementation of the NSF's new directives to eliminate programs addressing diversity in STEM. In addition, the changes would eliminate funding and programs that Raoul said, 'help maintain the United States' position as a global leader in STEM.' 'The funds the Trump administration is attempting to cut are vital to addressing the nation's biggest challenges,' Raoul said. 'The impact of these illegal cuts would devastate scientific research at universities in Illinois and across the country and would stall efforts to grow the STEM workforce.' Illinois AG files lawsuits over immigration conditions placed on federal funding Raoul provided background, saying that on April 18, the NFS began terminating grants that funded projects focused on increasing the participation of women, minorities and people with disabilities in STEM fields. On May 2, the NFS announced that it would also cap 'indirect costs' of all NFS-funded research projects, such as laboratory space, equipment and facility services, at 15%. This, Raoul and his counterparts said, would slash millions of dollars from scientific research across the country and jeopardize national security, the economy and public health. The 15% cap would limit scientific research at universities across the country, they said, leading to the abandonment of critical projects and the end of 'essential research.' They also argue that these directives violate federal law. 'The NSF's directives violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution by unlawfully changing NSF policy and ignoring Congress' direction for how the NSF should function,' Raoul wrote in a news release. 'The lawsuit seeks a court order ruling the NSF's new directives are illegal and an injunction blocking their implementation.' Illinois AG wins court order supporting libraries, museums, minority-owned businesses Raoul also noted that per Congress, a 'core strategy' of the NFS's work must be to increase the participation of people who have historically been left out of STEM occupations, and that the strategy to increase participation STEM careers has worked. 'Between 1995 and 2017, the number of women in science and engineering occupations, or with science or engineering degrees, has doubled,' Raoul wrote. 'During that same time, people of color went from 15% to 35% of science and engineering job or degree holders. However, since the NSF's April 18 directive to terminate programs seeking to increase diversity in STEM, dozens of projects have been canceled.' Raoul has been involved in several multi-state lawsuits in the past to object to Trump's policies, including funding cuts. A lawsuit filed in February resulted in court orders that stopped attempts to cap indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy (DOE) grants. The latest lawsuit was filed by Raoul and the Attorneys General of the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
PBS sues Trump administration over executive order targeting public broadcasting
PBS has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration challenging his executive order targeting public broadcasting. PBS's lawsuit, filed in United States District Court in Washington, accuses the administration of unlawfully interfering in the operations of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and committing multiple violations of the First Amendment – viewpoint discrimination, illegal retaliation against the network and encroachment of PBS's press freedoms. The suit also alleges the administration has violated the Administrative Procedure Act. Trump signed the executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to "cease direct funding to NPR and PBS" on his way to Florida aboard Air Force One on May 1. The order blocks federal funding to NPR and PBS to the maximum extent allowed by law, according to a fact sheet from the White House. It also prevents indirect funding to PBS and NPR by prohibiting local public radio and television stations, and any other recipients of CPB funds, from using taxpayer dollars to support the organizations. Additionally, it instructs the Federal Communications Commission and relevant agencies to investigate whether NPR and PBS have engaged in unlawful discrimination. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. PBS sues Trump administration over executive order targeting public broadcasting originally appeared on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
PBS sues Trump administration over executive order targeting public broadcasting
PBS has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration challenging his executive order targeting public broadcasting. PBS's lawsuit, filed in United States District Court in Washington, accuses the administration of unlawfully interfering in the operations of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and committing multiple violations of the First Amendment – viewpoint discrimination, illegal retaliation against the network and encroachment of PBS's press freedoms. The suit also alleges the administration has violated the Administrative Procedure Act. Trump signed the executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to "cease direct funding to NPR and PBS" on his way to Florida aboard Air Force One on May 1. The order blocks federal funding to NPR and PBS to the maximum extent allowed by law, according to a fact sheet from the White House. It also prevents indirect funding to PBS and NPR by prohibiting local public radio and television stations, and any other recipients of CPB funds, from using taxpayer dollars to support the organizations. Additionally, it instructs the Federal Communications Commission and relevant agencies to investigate whether NPR and PBS have engaged in unlawful discrimination. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. PBS sues Trump administration over executive order targeting public broadcasting originally appeared on
2 days ago
- Politics
PBS sues Trump administration over executive order targeting public broadcasting
PBS has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration challenging his executive order targeting public broadcasting. PBS's lawsuit, filed in United States District Court in Washington, accuses the administration of unlawfully interfering in the operations of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and committing multiple violations of the First Amendment – viewpoint discrimination, illegal retaliation against the network and encroachment of PBS's press freedoms. The suit also alleges the administration has violated the Administrative Procedure Act. Trump signed the executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to "cease direct funding to NPR and PBS" on his way to Florida aboard Air Force One on May 1. The order blocks federal funding to NPR and PBS to the maximum extent allowed by law, according to a fact sheet from the White House. It also prevents indirect funding to PBS and NPR by prohibiting local public radio and television stations, and any other recipients of CPB funds, from using taxpayer dollars to support the organizations. Additionally, it instructs the Federal Communications Commission and relevant agencies to investigate whether NPR and PBS have engaged in unlawful discrimination.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
PBS sues Trump, joining NPR in legal fight against executive order to end funding
PBS and one of its member stations in northern Minnesota sued President Trump and several cabinet officials on Friday over Trump's executive order targeting the public broadcasting system. PBS alleges that the president's May 1 order violated the First Amendment of the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. The lawsuit asks the US District Court in Washington, DC, to affirm the order's unconstitutionality and bar the Trump administration from enforcing the president's demands that PBS be defunded. 'After careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television's editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations,' a PBS spokesperson said Friday. CNN has asked the White House for comment. The network's radio and podcasting counterpart, NPR, filed a similar First Amendment lawsuit earlier this week. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private entity that disperses taxpayer funds to public radio and TV stations, has also sued Trump over his attempt to fire three board members. For the time being, the CPB is ignoring Trump's demand. But if federal funding to public media is indeed halted, some smaller stations could be forced off the air. Both the PBS and NPR lawsuits focus on Trump's own claims about the public broadcasters. He has repeatedly lambasted public media for perceived political bias, charging that NPR and PBS are unfair to conservatives. 'PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms,' Friday's lawsuit filing states. 'But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our Constitution and laws forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.' In legal parlance, the alleged First Amendment violation is known as 'viewpoint discrimination.' Trump's order 'makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is cutting off the flow of funds to PBS because of the content of PBS programming and out of a desire to alter the content of speech,' the lawsuit continues. 'That is blatant viewpoint discrimination and an infringement of PBS and PBS Member Stations' private editorial discretion.' The lawsuit also notes that the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act 'expressly insulated' PBS and its member stations from political interference. With the May 1 executive order, Trump 'is attempting to circumvent Congress,' which allocates funds for public media every year, the lawsuit adds. When NPR's lawsuit was filed, the White House charged that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting '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.' Attorneys for NPR said the White House statement amounted to further evidence of viewpoint discrimination. PBS took pains in its Friday filing to reject conservative claims about liberal bias on its airwaves. It said the White House's talking points about 'radical, woke propaganda' were misleading and 'misrepresentative of the variety of PBS programming.' The involvement of Lakeland PBS, a member station in northern Minnesota, is meant to buttress the lawsuit's arguments. The station is the only local TV news provider in the part of the state where it operates. 'Without Lakeland PBS, many residents in its coverage area would have no access to television covering local issues,' the lawsuit states.
