Latest news with #SpendingClause
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PBS sues Trump administration in wake of calls to strip funding
PBS is suing President Trump's administration on First Amendment grounds, arguing the president is trying to pull funding the from the broadcaster because of editorial coverage he disagrees with. The suit filed Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., accused the president of trying to 'upend public television' and argues the law 'forbids' him from pulling funding to it and other public broadcast outlets. PBS's suit follows a similar lawsuit filed earlier this week by NPR, which similarly argued Trump's executive order targeting funding to public media 'violates the Separation of Powers and the Spending Clause by disregarding Congress's express commands.' In a statement to The Hill on Friday, a spokesperson for PBS said, '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.' Trump and his allies have long attacked NPR and PBS over their funding, some of which comes from taxpayer dollars but a larger portion of which is derived from private donations and member stations. On Capitol Hill, a push among Republicans to strip federal funding from public broadcasters is gaining steam, though some lawmakers expressed skepticism. At a hearing last month, PBS president Paula Kerger defended the outlet's editorial strategy and funding model, arguing the network provides vital services to Americans and particularly children through educational programming. But Trump, in his executive order that has now sparked a pair of lawsuits, argued PBS and NPR are biased against his agenda in their news coverage and are undeserving of federal dollars. 'No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize,' his executive order on the matter reads. 'Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax paying citizens.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
PBS sues Trump administration in wake of calls to strip funding
PBS is suing President Trump's administration on First Amendment grounds, arguing the president is trying to pull funding the from the broadcaster because of editorial coverage he disagrees with. The suit filed Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., accused the president of trying to 'upend public television' and argues the law 'forbids' him from pulling funding to it and other public broadcast outlets. PBS's suit follows a similar lawsuit filed earlier this week by NPR, which similarly argued Trump's executive order targeting funding to public media 'violates the Separation of Powers and the Spending Clause by disregarding Congress's express commands.' In a statement to The Hill on Friday, a spokesperson for PBS said, '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.' Trump and his allies have long attacked NPR and PBS over their funding, some of which comes from taxpayer dollars but a larger portion of which is derived from private donations and member stations. On Capitol Hill, a push among Republicans to strip federal funding from public broadcasters is gaining steam, though some lawmakers expressed skepticism. At a hearing last month, PBS president Paula Kerger defended the outlet's editorial strategy and funding model, arguing the network provides vital services to Americans and particularly children through educational programming. But Trump, in his executive order that has now sparked a pair of lawsuits, argued PBS and NPR are biased against his agenda in their news coverage and are undeserving of federal dollars. 'No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize,' his executive order on the matter reads. 'Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax paying citizens.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Ongoing Funding Feud
In more recent days, the highly publicized feud between President Donald Trump and the National Public Radio has only continued to escalate. After issuing an executive order aimed at cutting all funding for the nonprofit radio station on May 1, NPR promptly responded by suing Trump, citing the order as unconstitutional and a politically-motivated attack on the part of the presidential administration, as reported by CNBC. According to the lawsuit presented by NPR and three other talk radio stations, Trump's executive order "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." In the view of NPR and fellow plaintiffs Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KSUT Public Radio, Trump's orders also undermine the freedoms associated with the First Amendment, serving as a calculated decision to undermine NPR's operations. "These fundamental First Amendment principles apply in full force in the context of public media and doom Executive Order 14290, which expressly aims to punish and control Plaintiffs' news coverage and other speech the Administration deems 'biased,'" the lawsuit states. "The Order also violates due process, the Separation of Powers and the Spending Clause of the Constitution," the plaintiffs continue. "It cannot stand." Trump' and his Administration have been openly critical of NPR, with White House spokesperson Harrison Fields believing the station '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," Fields continued. "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." NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Ongoing Funding Feud first appeared on Parade on May 27, 2025
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NPR is fighting back over Trump's "retaliatory viewpoint-based discrimination"
President Donald Trump's war with the media has a new front. National Public Radio is suing his administration over an executive order to cut off funding for the radio network and other public news outlets. NPR and three Colorado affiliates filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, arguing that the order violated the First Amendment and 'flatly contravenes statutes duly enacted by Congress and violates the Separation of Powers and the Spending Clause by disregarding Congress's express command.' 'The Order's objectives could not be clearer,' said the suit, which was filed in Washington, D.C. It 'aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes and chill the free exercise of First Amendment rights by NPR and individual public radio stations across the country.' The president signed the order, which targets NPR and PBS, at the beginning of this month, saying that no media organization has a 'constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies,' and that 'neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events.' Trump earlier called the two outlets 'horrible and completely biased platforms' in a post on Truth Social, calling on Congress to defund them immediately. '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!!!' he wrote PBS President Paula Kreger called the move 'blatantly unlawful' at the time. On Tuesday, NPR CEO Katherine Maher released a statement explaining the suit, which called the order 'a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press.' 'This is retaliatory, viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment,' she added. '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." The suit names Trump as well as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, among the defendants.
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
NPR Sues Trump Over Order Cutting Federal Funding
President Donald Trump's order cutting funding for media outlets violates the U.S. Constitution, National Public Radio (NPR) said in a lawsuit filed on May 27. The order violates the First Amendment's protection of expression, the suit states. 'The Order also violates due process, the Separation of Powers and the Spending Clause of the Constitution,' it The suit was filed in federal court in Washington. The White House, the Department of the Treasury, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump's May 1 order Related Stories 5/2/2025 3/26/2025 The order says that no outlets have a constitutional right to public money and that neither outlet 'presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.' That's despite the law establishing the corporation saying the entity cannot 'contribute to or otherwise support any political party,' Trump wrote. The White House has NPR and several local member stations, including Colorado Public Radio, said in the suit that the order improperly targets them because of the president's view on their news. 'The Order's objectives could not be clearer: the Order aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes and chill the free exercise of First Amendment rights by NPR and individual public radio stations across the country,' they said. '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.' Maher The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the order and all actions taken to implement it illegal and unconstitutional, along with an order that permanently bars defendants from implementing the order. Maher and PBC CEO Paula Kerger defended their outlets during a March congressional hearing, 'Our stations pool resources to invest in programming that will benefit all Americans, ranging from history and science to art and music,' Kerger said at the time.
