WASHINGTON (Reuters) – National Public Radio and three Colorado public radio stations are suing the Trump administration over the president’s executive order to cut federal funding for public broadcasting, NPR said on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s order against NPR and fellow public broadcaster PBS earlier this month barring the use of Congressionally appropriated funds violated the First Amendment, it said.
“The intent could not be more clear — the Executive Order aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes,” NPR CEO Katherine Maher said in a statement. “This is retaliatory, viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment.”
Aspen Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, and KSUT Public Radio also joined the lawsuit, according to the statement.
Representatives for the White House could not be immediately reached for comment.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Nadita Bose; additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by William Maclean)
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