US agency from the cold-war era protests against reduction in funding
The CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has condemned President Trump's recent action as a “massive gift to America’s enemies.” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty confirmed that it lost a federal grant from the U.S. government that supports...
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The CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has condemned President Trump's recent action as a “massive gift to America’s enemies.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty confirmed that it lost a federal grant from the U.S. government that supports its international operations after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that substantially reduced the funding for the agency that finances state-sponsored news organizations.
The executive order, signed on Friday, focuses on the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which supervises the state-owned Voice of America as well as RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia, and several other not-for-profit entities funded entirely by the U.S. budget.
“The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grant agreement would be a massive gift to America’s enemies,” stated RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus on Saturday, asserting that “handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker.”
While it remains uncertain whether the organization—often seen as a propaganda tool—will cease operations, Capus expressed concern that “without us, the nearly 50 million people in closed societies… won’t have access to the truth about America and the world.”
President Trump has a history of criticizing U.S.-funded media outlets, including VOA, for perceived bias. On Saturday, he once again derided the “fake news” media, referring to them as “sick degenerates that have to start reporting the news correctly” without naming specific organizations.
Kari Lake, Trump’s newly appointed special advisor at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, remarked on Saturday that “the people’s trust in the 4th Estate is broken” and noted that “we have a lot more work to do” to restore it.
“While at USAGM, I vow to fully implement President Trump’s executive orders in his mission to reduce the size and scope of the federal government,” Lake added, encouraging agency employees to “please check your email immediately for more information.”
Elon Musk, who heads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, previously called for the complete closure of RFE/RL and VOA, denouncing them as “radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.” Musk pointed out that while these broadcasters played significant roles during the Cold War to counter Soviet influence in Europe, he believes “nobody listens to them anymore.”
Max Fischer contributed to this article for TROIB News
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty confirmed that it lost a federal grant from the U.S. government that supports its international operations after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that substantially reduced the funding for the agency that finances state-sponsored news organizations.
The executive order, signed on Friday, focuses on the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which supervises the state-owned Voice of America as well as RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia, and several other not-for-profit entities funded entirely by the U.S. budget.
“The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grant agreement would be a massive gift to America’s enemies,” stated RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus on Saturday, asserting that “handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker.”
While it remains uncertain whether the organization—often seen as a propaganda tool—will cease operations, Capus expressed concern that “without us, the nearly 50 million people in closed societies… won’t have access to the truth about America and the world.”
President Trump has a history of criticizing U.S.-funded media outlets, including VOA, for perceived bias. On Saturday, he once again derided the “fake news” media, referring to them as “sick degenerates that have to start reporting the news correctly” without naming specific organizations.
Kari Lake, Trump’s newly appointed special advisor at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, remarked on Saturday that “the people’s trust in the 4th Estate is broken” and noted that “we have a lot more work to do” to restore it.
“While at USAGM, I vow to fully implement President Trump’s executive orders in his mission to reduce the size and scope of the federal government,” Lake added, encouraging agency employees to “please check your email immediately for more information.”
Elon Musk, who heads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, previously called for the complete closure of RFE/RL and VOA, denouncing them as “radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.” Musk pointed out that while these broadcasters played significant roles during the Cold War to counter Soviet influence in Europe, he believes “nobody listens to them anymore.”
Max Fischer contributed to this article for TROIB News
