With Donald Trump issuing an order to defund broadcasting mainstays NPR and PBS last year, a US judge has come out to condemn the President’s decision. Randolph Moss, who serves as a district judge in the District Court for the District of Columbia, slammed Trump’s move in a recent ruling, going as far as to describe it as a violation of the First Amendment.
US Judge comments on Donald Trump defunding PBS and NPR
Randolph Moss has clarified that the POTUS’ decision to cut off funding for PBS and NPR actually violates the two broadcasters’ free speech rights.
“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 federal judge said, according to the ruling procured by Entertainment Weekly.
The court’s official statement further noted, “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 also added that Donald Trump’s defunding of NPR and PBS actually “singles out two speakers and, on the basis of their speech, bars them from all federally funded programs.”
Notably, the Republican President had issued an executive order in May 2025 to put a hold on the aforementioned broadcasters’ funding. “NPR and PBS have fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars,” Trump said at the time. “No media outlet has a Constitutional right to taxpayer-subsidized operations, and it’s highly inappropriate for taxpayers to be forced to subsidize biased, partisan content.”
Donald Trump’s order eventually went into effect in July 2025, resulting in public broadcasting losing out on a two-year funding stream of more than $1 billion.
Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded to Moss’ comments by labeling his decision as “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 Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”
