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6h ago

Judge Blocks Trump’s Order to Cut NPR and PBS Funding as Unconstitutional

The ruling underscores that the government cannot use funding to punish disfavored speech.

FILE - National Public Radio (NPR) on North Capitol Street in Washington, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
The headquarters for National Public Radio in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025.
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A.G. Sulzberger, chairman of The New York Times Company, speaks with Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, on centerstage at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss, who ruled Tuesday, issued a permanent injunction stopping federal agencies from enforcing key parts of the 2025 directive targeting NPR and PBS.
  • Calling the move viewpoint discrimination, the judge said the order unlawfully singled out the two broadcasters and barred them from all federally funded programs because of their past reporting.
  • The decision does not restore money already pulled back, as Congress rescinded about $1.1 billion for public broadcasting and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has shut down.
  • Agencies had already canceled grants tied to the order, including $23 million from the Education Department for educational TV, which pushed PBS Kids to lay off about one-third of its staff.
  • NPR and PBS praised the ruling as a win for press freedom, and the White House signaled it will likely appeal, while eligibility for future agency grants could reopen if the injunction stands.