National Public Radio is filing a lawsuit to block the Trump administration's cuts to the program, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
“The President has no authority under the Constitution to take such actions,” said the complaint. “On the contrary, the power of the purse is reserved to Congress.”
The specific plaintiffs in the case, filed in a federal court in Washington, include Colorado Public Radio and Aspen Public Radio.
Trump's order to cancel funding for NPR and PBS would, in theory, only affect a small percent of public broadcast funding, as NPR and PBS content is primarily funded by donors and sponsorships.
However, Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants are vital for the funding of specific affiliate stations around the country, potentially leading to an increase of "news deserts" in lower-income and lower-population areas if the funding cuts are allowed to go through.
While Trump has sought to make the cuts unilaterally, he has also asked Congress to codify these cuts in the budget, clawing back some $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting.
