WASHINGTON (AP) — National Public Radio will receive about $36 million in grant money to operate the nation’s public radio interconnection system, under conditions. court settlement With the manager of federal government funding for public broadcasting stations.
The settlement, announced late Monday, partially resolves a legal dispute in which NPR alleged Public Broadcasting Corporation Bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump to cut its funding.
On March 25, Trump said in a press conference that he would “love” to defund NPR and PBS because he believed they were biased in favor of Democrats.
NPR accused CPB of violating its First Amendment free speech rights when it took steps to cut off its access to grant funds appropriated by Congress. NPR also claims Republican Trump wants to punish it for the content of its journalism.
On April 2, CPB’s board initially approved a three-year, approximately $36 million, extension of the grant for NPR to operate an “interconnection” satellite system for public radio. NPR has been operating and managing public radio satellite systems since 1985.
But due to increasing pressure from the Trump administration, CPB reversed its position, According to NPRNPR says the agency redirected federal interconnection funds away from NPR to an entity that did not exist and was not statutorily authorized to receive it,
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CPB lawyers denied that the agency retaliated against NPR to please Trump. they were Argued that NPR’s claims Are factually and legally meritless.
On May 1, Trump issued an executive order calling on federal agencies to halt funding for NPR and PBS. The settlement does not end the lawsuit in which NPR seeks to block any implementation or enforcement of Trump’s executive order. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss is scheduled to preside over another hearing in the case on Dec. 4.
The agreement states that NPR and CPB agree that the executive order is unconstitutional and that CPB will not enforce it unless a court orders it to do so.
NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said the settlement was “a victory for editorial independence and a step toward maintaining the First Amendment rights of NPR and the public media system.”
The corporation’s CEO Patricia Harrison said in a statement that the agreement “marks a significant moment for public media.”