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yesterday

PBS Sues to Block Trump’s Order Cutting Federal Funding to Public Broadcasters

Arguing the order amounts to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination, PBS’s filing launches a broader legal test of presidential authority over public broadcasting funding.

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A stuffed Cookie Monster is seated in a control room at the Arizona PBS offices at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Katie Oyan)
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) headquarters is seen on May 2, 2025 in Arlington, VA.
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Overview

  • On May 30, PBS and Minnesota’s Lakeland PBS filed suit in Washington federal court seeking to block President Trump’s May 1 executive order that halts Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants to NPR and PBS.
  • The lawsuit contends the order violates the First Amendment by engaging in viewpoint discrimination based on alleged bias in PBS programming.
  • PBS warns it could lose about $325 million in CPB grants—roughly 15–22% of its operating budget—putting some member stations at risk of closure.
  • NPR pursued a similar lawsuit on May 27, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting separately sued over Trump’s attempt to remove three of its board members.
  • Trump’s executive order describes public media funding as outdated and corrosive to journalistic independence while accusing PBS and NPR of partisanship.