• NPR has filed a lawsuit against President Trump over his executive order to cut federal funding.
• The lawsuit alleges violations of the First Amendment and retaliatory motives against NPR's editorial choices.
• Included in the suit are three local Colorado public radio stations, challenging the legality of Trump's actions.

National Public Radio (NPR) has initiated legal proceedings against President Trump following an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding to NPR and PBS. Filed in federal court, the lawsuit argues that the executive order, issued in early May 2025, infringes upon the First Amendment by effectively retaliating against the organization for its perceived political biases, asserting that the order is an unconstitutional act against free speech and press freedom, according to nytimes and cbsnews.

NPR claims the executive order violates the legal framework established by Congress and targets the organization as part of a broader pattern of what they describe as "viewpoint-based discrimination." This assertion suggests that the order seeks to suppress journalistic independence by threatening federal funding, which many public radio stations rely on for operational survival, as highlighted by reuters and huffpost.

The lawsuit, spearheaded by NPR along with the Colorado-based stations Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio, and KUTE Inc, argues that Trump's April executive order to withhold funding represents "textbook retaliation" for NPR's editorial choices, which have been labeled as biased by the Trump administration. The order specifically calls for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to freeze funding until a review is conducted on the impartiality of content produced by NPR and PBS, per thehill and aljazeera.

Katherine Maher, NPR's CEO, voiced strong opposition to the order, asserting that it not only endangers NPR's financial health but also sets a dangerous precedent for government interference in media. She stated that "this is retaliatory, viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment," further stressing that the integrity of public media is at stake, according to statements reported by salon and npr.

In his defense, President Trump has contended that taxpayer money should not support media outlets that allegedly present biased narratives, framing the order as a necessary action to ensure fairness in public broadcasting. He indicated that "no media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies," seeking to justify the funding cuts and affirming a mandate on the efficiency of taxpayer dollars, as noted by indiatimes.