 "Donald Trump sues PBS, NPR board members for refusing to leave their posts")
The Trump administration has initiated legal proceedings against three Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) directors who allegedly refused to resign from their positions despite being dismissed in April and subsequently losing a preliminary court challenge to their removal.
Justice Department calls CPB board presence unlawful
In a complaint filed on Tuesday with the Washington federal court, the US Department of Justice stated that the three individuals are "usurping and unlawfully holding or exercising" their roles as board members of the non-profit body that funds the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).
PBS operates as a publicly financed non-profit and is the leading provider of educational programming to public television stations across the United States. NPR is a national syndicate serving more than 1,000 public radio stations.
Laura G Ross, Thomas E Rothman, and Diane Kaplan have continued “participating in board meetings, voting on resolutions and other business that comes before the board, and presenting themselves to the public as board members,” the complaint noted. “All of this is manifestly unlawful,” it asserted.
Dismissed directors continue in official roles despite court denial
Previously, the CPB and the three board members sued the Trump administration to block the dismissals, arguing that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority. However, a federal judge declined to issue an injunction last month while the case proceeds.
Should the dismissals be upheld, only two board members would remain—insufficient for a quorum, thereby paralysing the CPB’s operational ability, according to legal representatives for the organisation.
Republican push to cut PBS and NPR funding gains ground
The new lawsuit comes as the long-standing Republican campaign to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting inches closer to fruition. Senate Republicans need just 50 votes to pass legislation slashing $1 billion from PBS and NPR budgets this week. They are expected to gain the necessary support after a separate agreement to preserve global AIDS funding.
Senate to begin broader spending cuts today
Later today, the Senate will take its first steps toward implementing Trump’s request to reduce around $9 billion from this year’s federal spending. The House had approved the package last month. While the cuts will barely dent the projected $2 trillion budget deficit, the effort was a pledge to conservatives who reluctantly supported Trump’s tax reduction bill, which will add $3.4 trillion in deficit spending over the next decade.
Additional cost-cutting initiatives may emerge from the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, within the White House. Republicans are under significant pressure to implement these cuts, as Trump has vowed not to endorse any lawmaker who opposes the budget package.
(With inputs from agencies)