WASHINGTON — National Public Radio, along with three regional stations, initiated legal action against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, challenging an executive directive aimed at withdrawing federal funds from the organization, claiming it is unlawful.

The legal challenge, presented in a Washington federal court by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio, and KUTE, Inc., contends that Trump’s order to diminish public subsidies for PBS and NPR infringes upon the First Amendment rights.

Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive directive instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal entities “to halt federal funding for NPR and PBS.” The order also mandates efforts to eliminate any indirect public funding for these media outlets. Trump enacted this directive following accusations of “bias” in their news coverage.

“The Order’s objectives could not be clearer: the Order aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes and chill the free exercise of First Amendment rights by NPR and individual public radio stations across the country,” the lawsuit alleges.

“The Order is textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment, and it interferes with NPR’s and the Local Member Stations’ freedom of expressive association and editorial discretion,” it said.