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One of the ways that Trump and his party have been attempting to delegitimize and, in the case of NPR and PBS, defund media that they believe are biased against them is to file complaints with the Federal Election Commission. Trump filed an FEC complaint accusing The Washington Post of in-kind contributions to Kamala Harris, and conservatives filed a complaint against NPR that claimed that NPR was controlled by the Democratic Party and advocated for former VP Harris during the 2024 election.
The bipartisan Federal Election Commission has unanimously dismissed a complaint from conservative activists who alleged NPR is controlled by Democratic Party and “clearly and unmistakably” advocated for 2024 presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The 4-0 ruling, released Monday evening, affirms what the FEC has previously established: that NPR is a legitimate news organization exempt from election laws governing political committees and candidates.
The conservative groups, Trump, and Republicans in Congress have been laying the groundwork for an effort to defund and gut NPR. The House Republican led DOGE subcommittee held a hearing on NPR and PBS where Republicans attempted to claim that the public broadcasters were partisan entities that should not receive public funding.
The FEC victory is important for NPR because the federal government verified that NPR is a legitmate news organization that is exempt from election laws. As Republicans prepare their tax cuts for the rich legislation, funding cuts will take center stage.
Most of the conversation will center around the GOP effort to gut Medicaid by cutting $880 billion, but Trump is promising to send legislation to Congress that will take billions of dollars of congressional allocated dollars away from NPR and PBS.
NPR is a public service that is an important part of the free press in the United States.
What do you think about the FEC dismissing the complaint against NPR? Share your views in the comments below.