USAGM agrees to release part of grant to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

2025-03-25 11:46:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) pledged to release a portion of the funds allocated to it by Congress to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, shortly before a scheduled court hearing on the matter.

The decision means that Radio Free Europe will receive $7.46 million - an amount that covers the period from March 1 to March 14.

"We hope that the immediate release of two weeks' worth of funding that Congress has appropriated to REL will keep our lights on until the court rules on the full case," REL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement.

"We are confident that the law is on our side, because the U.S. Constitution gives Congress exclusive power over the purse. It is unlawful to deny us the funds that Congress has already appropriated to REL for the remainder of the fiscal year," he added.

"The agency has taken immediate administrative steps to initiate disbursement," USAGM said in a letter attached to the court filing.

The distribution of the funds was said to be done by March 26, while Radio Free Europe will receive them by the end of the month.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty filed a lawsuit against USAGM last week, due to the blocking of funds approved by Congress.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia heard arguments from both sides on Monday.

Abigail Stout, a Justice Department attorney representing USAGM, said the grant agreement between USAGM and Radio Free Europe - as stated in the International Broadcasting Act - gives the agency the right to terminate the agreement if Radio Free Europe fails to comply with the provisions outlined in it.

"The statute, in fact, provides that the agency can terminate the grant," she said.

In response, David Zionts, one of Radio Free Europe's lawyers, said that "it wouldn't make sense" for Congress to approve the funds and for agencies to then act according to their own interests.

Radio Free Europe is also seeking the remaining portion of the grant for the full fiscal year 2025, which ends on September 30, as well as a preliminary injunction from the court to this end.

Judge Royce Lamberth is expected to rule on this in the coming weeks.

The directive to cut off funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was issued hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 14 to reduce funding for seven federal agencies, including USAGM.

Radio Free Europe's grant was terminated with a letter signed by Kari Lake, senior advisor to the acting executive director of USAGM.

The letter stated that "the decision no longer implements the agency's priorities."

No other explanations were given.

Four days later, Radio Free Europe announced that it had sued USAGM, as well as agency officials Kari Lake and Victor Morales, to block their efforts to cut off federal funding to the broadcaster.

"The termination of our freelancer contracts and the suspension of employees will significantly hinder our ability to deliver uncensored news in the 23 countries we serve," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty president Stephen Capus said in the court filing.

Trump - who has taken several actions to reduce government spending since beginning his second term in January - has clashed with USAGM over editorial independence and programming since his first term.

But supporters of the broadcasters say they are an important arm of American diplomacy.

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

With the uncertain future of Radio Free Europe, European Union politicians are scrambling to find ways to support the broadcaster.

USAGM is an independent agency of the U.S. Government that oversees the broadcast of news and information in nearly 50 languages, to approximately 361 million people each week.

The budget that USAGM has requested from the US Congress for fiscal year 2025 is $950 million, to fund all operations and capital investments.

These include the following media: Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Cuba Office (Radio Marti), Middle East Broadcasting Network, and the Open Technology Fund.

According to USAGM documents, the requested budget for REL for 2025 was about $153 million./ REL