On May 30, 2025, PBS and Lakeland PBS, a rural Minnesota public television station, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington against President Donald Trump over his May 1, 2025, executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease all federal funding to PBS. The lawsuit argues that the order is unconstitutional, exceeding presidential authority and violating First Amendment protections by targeting PBS due to its programming content, which Trump has publicly criticized as biased and “radical left.” The suit claims this constitutes “blatant viewpoint discrimination” and threatens the editorial independence of PBS and its member stations.
Lakeland PBS, serving nearly half a million viewers in central and northern Minnesota, emphasized that the funding cut poses an “existential threat” to its operations, as it relies heavily on PBS content and federal grants. The loss of $81 million annually in federal funding for PBS, plus $227 million in station payments, could disrupt programming like children’s shows and documentaries. The CPB, a private nonprofit, has rejected the order, citing congressional protections against political interference. The White House defends the order, arguing that public funding for PBS and NPR is “outdated” and promotes partisan content, a claim echoed in Trump’s social media posts calling for Republicans to “defund” both networks.
This legal action follows a similar lawsuit by NPR and three Colorado public radio stations on May 27, 2025, and another by CPB challenging Trump’s attempt to fire three of its board members. Legal experts, like First Amendment professor Leonard M. Niehoff, assert that the president lacks authority to override Congress’s budget allocations for CPB. The lawsuits highlight ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and public media, with broader implications for press freedom.