Corporation for Public Broadcasting sues Trump after attempted board firings
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a nonprofit organization created by Congress that provides funding to public broadcasters such as NPR and PBS, sued the Trump administration Tuesday after the president attempted to fire three of its board members.
In its complaint, filed in federal district court in D.C., the CPB and the three board members — Laura Ross, Thomas Rothman and Diane Kaplan — said the president does not have the authority to fire these board members because it’s not a government agency subject to the decisions of the executive branch.
Ross, Rothman and Kaplan said they received an email on Monday from Trent Morse, deputy director of presidential personnel, notifying them of their termination. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” the email said.
The CPB has five board members, according to its website, with Ross currently serving as vice chair.
“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not a government entity, and its board members are not government officers. Because CPB is not a federal agency subject to the President’s authority, but rather a private corporation, we have filed a lawsuit to block these firings,” said CPB spokesperson Tracey Briggs. “CPB’s Board Members are essential to the governance of CPB, which supports more than 1,500 independent, locally owned and operated public television and radio stations that provide universal access to free, high-quality content that educates, informs, and enlightens.”
The White House took a different stance. “As numerous courts have repeatedly affirmed, the Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority,” White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers said in a statement. “The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”
CPB board members are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, with members serving six-year terms. The CPB board appoints the president and CEO of the organization.
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has targeted NPR and PBS, two broadcasters that receive a portion of their funding from the CPB, as appropriated by Congress. The administration previously confirmed to The Washington Post that it is planning to ask Congress for a rescission of already-appropriated funds — possibly as early as this week — to gut the CPB. PBS declined to comment.
The administration has criticized that taxpayer dollars have flowed to content to which it objected, such as an NPR article with facts about “queer animals” and a PBS documentary about a transgender teenager. NPR did not respond to a request for comment on the CPB lawsuit.