Court settlement calls for NPR to get $36M in government funds to
operate US public radio system
[November 19, 2025]
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — National Public Radio will receive approximately $36
million in grant money to operate the nation’s public radio
interconnection system under the terms of a court settlement with the
federal government's steward of funding for public broadcasting
stations.
The settlement, announced late Monday, partially resolves a legal
dispute in which NPR accused the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of
bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump to cut off its funding.
On March 25, Trump said at a news conference that he would “love to”
defund NPR and PBS because he believes they are biased in favor of
Democrats.
NPR accused the CPB of violating its First Amendment free speech rights
when it moved to cut off its access to grant money appropriated by
Congress. NPR also claims Trump, a Republican, wants to punish it for
the content of its journalism.
On April 2, the CPB’s board initially approved a three-year, roughly $36
million extension of a grant for NPR to operate the “interconnection”
satellite system for public radio. NPR has been operating and managing
the Public Radio Satellite System since 1985.
But corporation officials reversed course and announced that the federal
funds would go to a entity called Public Media Infrastructure. NPR
claimed the CPB was under mounting pressure from the Trump
administration when the agency redirected the money to PMI, a media
coalition that didn’t exist and wasn’t statutorily authorized to receive
the funds.
CPB attorneys denied that the agency retaliated against NPR to appease
Trump. They had argued that NPR’s claims are factually and legally
meritless.
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National Public Radio (NPR) on North Capitol Street in Washington,
April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
 On May 1, Trump issued an executive
order that called for federal agencies to stop funding for NPR and
PBS. The settlement doesn’t end a 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 for the case on Dec. 4.
The settlement says NPR and CPB agree that the executive order is
unconstitutional and that CPB won't enforce it unless a court orders
it to do so.
NPR, meanwhile, agreed to drop its request for a court order
blocking CPB from disbursing funds to PMI under a separate grant
agreement.
Katherine Maher, NPR's president and CEO, said the settlement is “a
victory for editorial independence and a step toward upholding the
First Amendment rights of NPR and the public media system."
Patricia Harrison, the corporation’s CEO, said CPB is pleased that
the litigation is over “and that our investment in the future
through PMI marks an exciting new era for public media.”
On Aug. 1, CPB announced it would take steps toward closing itself
down after being defunded by Congress.
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