April 1, 2026
Journalism Wins! Judge Permanently Blocks Trump’s NPR, PBS Funding Block
Moss says the president's executive order, "Ending Taxpayer Subsidies for Bias Media," issued May 2025, "crosses that line."
A federal judge has sided with the First Amendment right of free speech by blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) — for good, NPR reports.
Judge Randolph D. Moss of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the block violated the broadcasters’ First Amendment rights on its face, labeling it “unlawful and unenforceable.”
“The First Amendment draws a line, which the government may not cross, at efforts to use government power – including the power of the purse – ‘to punish or suppress disfavored expression’ by others,” the District court said.
The ruling comes in a lawsuit against the administration from plaintiffs, including NPR, Aspen Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, and KSUT Public Radio in Ignacio, Colorado. Moss says the president’s executive order, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidies for Bias Media,” issued May 2025, “crosses that line.” The order 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 taxpaying citizens.”
In addition to accusing the public broadcasters of having ideological bias, targeting NPR’s news coverage by singling out two speakers and banning them from all federally funded programs, Moss decided to put an end to it. “The message is clear: NPR and PBS need not apply for any federal benefit because the President disapproves of their ‘left wing’ coverage of the news,” Moss wrote, according to PBS.
Under the Constitution, the U.S. government is prohibited from discriminating against people based on their expressed views, including in news coverage.
Trump has been after anyone who expressed views that don’t seem to align with his or those of the Republican Party, targeting the broadcasting networks. During a 2025 conference, he said he would “love to” defund NPR and PBS since he believes they’re biased in favor of the Democratic Party. Through his executive order, millions of dollars in funding from the Education Department to PBS for children’s programming were cut, forcing the system to lay off some PBS Kids staff.
PBS CEO and President Paula Kerger celebrated the ruling. “At PBS, we will continue to do what we’ve always done: serve our mission to educate and inspire all Americans as the nation’s most trusted media institution,” she wrote.
NPR’s President and CEO, Katherine Maher, described the ruling as a decisive affirmation of the rights of a free and independent press. “Public media exists to serve the public interest — that of Americans — not that of any political agenda or elected official,” the leader wrote.
Following the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson released a statement calling the decision “ridiculous” and pushing against Moss. “This is a ridiculous ruling by an activist judge attempting to undermine the law. NPR and PBS have no right to receive taxpayer funds, and Congress already voted to defund them,” the statement read.
“The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”
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