Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty sued the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and its managers Kari Lake and Victor Morales to block their attempt to terminate RFE/RL’s federal grant, IPN reports.
The complaint makes the case that denying RFE/RL the funds that Congress appropriated for it violates federal laws – including the U.S. Constitution, which vests Congress with exclusive power over federal spending, according to RFE/RL.org.
“This is not the time to cede terrain to the propaganda and censorship by America’s adversaries,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus.
“We believe that the law is on our side, and that the celebration of our ‘death’ by despots around the world is premature,” added Capus.
EU aid for Radio Free Europe
European Union officials are worried that the closure of RFE/RL would be a blow to the press that promotes democratic values. In this connection, the foreign ministers of the countries, at a meeting in Brussels on March 17, discussed the issue of the uncertain future of the broadcaster concerned.
“Support is growing for saving Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty after the U.S. announced plans to end its funding,” Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák said in Brussels after talks with EU officials.
“There is openness to co-financing the broadcaster at European level… RFE/RL remains vital for providing independent information in authoritarian countries and that Europe must act quickly to ensure its survival,” the Czech official added, quoted by Czech Radio.cz.
“We know that the total budget is an achievable amount for Europe as such. It would exceed our possibilities for the Czech Republic,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský. According to information from public sources, the annual budget should be around $142 million, as Hospodářské noviny.cz reported.
At the same time, the Ministry of Interior in Prague is in contact with the representatives of Radio Free Europe and is currently dealing with the situation of employees who are not EU citizens, and a possible cessation or reduction of the station’s operation could leave them without work.
“But there was really a push from the foreign ministers to discuss this and find the way, so this is the tasking to our side, to see what can we do,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, quoted by Reuters.
The slashing of funding for RFE/RL is linked to the White House leader’s decision of March 14 to reduce seven federal agencies, including the U.S. Global Media Agency, which oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other media outlets, justifying his decision as one aimed at cutting the federal workforce.
Photo source: rferl.org
