HAMILTON, Canada

US-based Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) filed a lawsuit Friday against the Trump administration following an executive order to cut all federal funding for public radio and television.

"The executive order makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is cutting off the flow of funds to PBS because of the content of PBS programming and out of a desire to alter the content of speech," according to a New York Times report citing the lawsuit, "That is blatant viewpoint discrimination.”

The lawsuit, filed in Washington, DC, argues that President Donald Trump's executive order violates the First Amendment of the US Consitution and oversteps executive authority by attempting to "serve as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming."

PBS said the order would "upend public television," threatening a funding model that includes direct federal grants and local station dues. According to PBS, the order jeopardizes 61% of its annual budget.

"Congress, not the President, has the power to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," the lawsuit added.

A similar lawsuit was filed by US-based National Public Radio (NPR) and several public radio stations earlier this week against the Trump administration for the order to end all federal funding to NPR and PBS.

NPR argued that the order threatens the future of public media that serves nearly 99% of the US population.