A federal judge has permanently blocked President Donald Trump's executive order ending federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the directive violated the right to free speech as provided for in the First Amendment. Following the ruling, conservative lawmakers across the country, including U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville), took to social media expressing their frustrations.
Strong, who previously filed legislation to prohibit federal funding for NPR, criticized Moss as an "Obama-appointed judge" and called the news source a "mouthpiece for the Democratic Party."
"Liberal judges legislating from the bench is exactly why it was necessary to pass legislation to rescind funding for NPR," wrote Strong on X. "An Obama-appointed judge sided with a so-called “news outlet” that functions as a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party-it's judicial activism on full display. I’ve long said our hard-earned taxpayer dollars should not be used to subsidize biased propaganda, and that’s why I worked with my colleagues to cut over $1B from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting last year."
Liberal judges legislating from the bench is exactly why it was necessary to pass legislation to rescind funding for NPR. An Obama-appointed judge sided with a so-called “news outlet” that functions as a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party — it's judicial activism on full… https://t.co/oNdToVDkpI
— Dale W. Strong (@RepDaleStrong) March 31, 2026
The Trump administration also issued a response to the decision, labeling it a "ridiculous ruling by an activist judge attempting to undermine the law."
The U.S. Justice Department may appeal the decision.
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