USAGM Agrees To Release Portion Of Radio Free Europe Grant As Judge Mulls Case

WASHINGTON -- The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) committed to release to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) some of the funds appropriated for it by Congress, as a U.S. judge heard arguments over whether the federal agency was justified in canceling a grant agreement with the broadcaster.

The agency’s move on March 24 came hours ahead of a hearing in US federal court in Washington, D.C. over the fate of the agreement. The agency’s withholding of the funds has jeopardized the continued operation of the media organization that since 1950 has provided fair and unbiased news to audiences in countries where a free and independent press have been stifled.

“We hope the imminent disbursement of two weeks’ worth of funding that Congress appropriated to RFE/RL will keep our lights on until the court rules on the broader case," RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement.

"We’re confident the law is on our side as the US Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power of the purse. It is unlawful to deny us the funds that Congress has already appropriated to RFE/RL for the rest of this fiscal year."

'Immediate Administrative Steps'

The USAGM said it has taken "immediate administrative steps" to initiate the disbursement, which should occur by March 26. RFE/RL would receive the funds by the end of the month, it added.

At the court hearing, Abigail Stout, a Justice Department lawyer representing the USAGM, argued the grant agreement between USAGM and RFE/RL, as stated in the International Broadcasting Act, gives the agency the right to terminate the agreement if RFE/RL fails to comply with the provisions outlined within it.

"So, the statute actually contemplates that the agency could terminate a grant," she said.

In response, David Zionts, one of RFE/RL’s lawyers, said “it would make no sense” for Congress to approve funding only for agencies to be able to do as they please.

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Czech Analyst Warns Over Possible RFE/RL Closure

RFE/RL is still seeking the remainder of the grant funds due for the full 2025 budget year, which ends September 30, 2025, and is seeking a preliminary injunction from the court for that purpose. Judge Royce Lamberth is expected to decide whether or not to issue the injunction in the coming weeks.

"If RFE/RL closes, many people in the countries where it operates won’t be able to access alternative news any longer. Of course, people would try to access the kind of information that RFE/RL provides elsewhere, but RFE/RL provides news that at this moment is very important in providing alternatives to official news sources," Jiri Pehe, a Czech political analyst and director of New York University's academic center in Prague, told RFE/RL.

"RFE/RL closing would also mark a symbolic full stop that would show that the United States, which until now has led the free world, is no longer interested in fighting for democracy and freedom in those countries where there is no democracy and freedom," Pehe, who was an adviser to former Czech President Vaclav Havel, added.

The threat to the broadcaster’s funding also has sparked a wave of support from the audiences in the 27 languages and 23 countries in which RFE/RL broadcasts.

From Iran to Belarus, Afghanistan to Russia, Pakistan to Ukraine: Readers and listeners praised RFE/RL journalists for their brave, impartial, and honest reporting on the front lines of war and in some of the world’s most repressive political and media landscapes -- and expressed concern that it could vanish.

“Sometimes you were like a ray of light that broke through the darkness of lies,” Oleh Prozorov, a reader from Ukraine, wrote on Facebook while thanking RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service for its “protection of political freedoms.”

The directive to terminate funding came hours after an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump called for the reduction of seven agencies – including the USAGM – to “the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”

Cuts To Government Spending

The purported termination of RFE/RL’s grant was communicated in a letter signed by Kari Lake, who listed her title as “Senior Advisor to the (USAGM) Acting CEO with Authorities Delegated by Acting CEO.” The letter stated “the award no longer effectuates agency priorities.” It gave no further explanation.

Lake has been nominated by Trump to take over as head of Voice of America, though her nomination must still be approved by the International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB).

The members of the IBAB, an advisory board established by Congress to oversee the activities of the USAGM, were removed from their positions by the US administration in January and have not been replaced.

Trump, who has taken several moves to slash government spending since taking office for a second term in January, clashed with the USAGM over the content of US-government-funded programming during his first term.

He has reiterated those concerns since retaking office. Supporters of the broadcasters say they are an important arm of US diplomacy.

“It is vital that Congress protect USAGM, ensure the safety of its affiliate journalists, and reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to a free and independent media at home and abroad,” a group of 28 press freedom and journalist groups from around the world wrote in a letter to US lawmakers on March 19.

With the future of RFE/RL uncertain, European Union politicians have been looking into the possibility of supporting the broadcaster.

The USAGM is an independent US government agency that oversees the broadcasting of news and information in more than 60 languages to over 400 million people each week.

The total budget request for the USAGM for fiscal year 2025 was $950 million to fund all of its operations and capital investments.

This includes media outlets such as RFE/RL, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio Marti), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), and the Open Technology Fund.

The 2025 budget request for RFE/RL itself was about $153 million, according to USAGM documents.