The media organization Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has won its legal battle against the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which had unlawfully withheld its funding. A U.S. District Court ruled that the agency had no authority to unilaterally change the terms of long-standing grant agreements with independent media organizations like RFE/RL. According to RFE/RL, the court’s decision restores critical financial resources, enabling continued broadcasting in regions where journalism is under threat. The outlet emphasized that the withheld funding had caused staff cuts, program cancellations, and severe harm to the media organization's global reach.
This was reported by Radio Liberty.
“This Court is unaware of any precedent in which an agency seeks to impose entirely new conditions on a decades-long grant relationship and then stops responding—especially when the agency is legally required to provide annual congressional appropriations to that specific organization,” the ruling stated.
The judge criticized USAGM’s “blatant disregard” for its legal obligations, which led to “massive layoffs, program terminations, and foreseeable damage to the global influence RFE/RL built over decades.”
RFE/RL President Stephen Capus called the ruling “the culmination of relentless legal efforts to compel USAGM to release the funding necessary for RFE/RL to fulfill its vital mission.”
He added, “This victory gives our journalists the momentum they need to continue reaching nearly 47 million people weekly with fact-based reporting that counters authoritarian disinformation.”
Capus further stated: “Now, more than ever, we cannot cede the information space to tyrants. This ruling enables RFE/RL to continue advancing U.S. national security interests.”
On March 14, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reduce the operations of several federal agencies, including USAGM. Shortly after, USAGM suspended an already approved congressional grant to RFE/RL and froze roughly $75 million intended for the broadcaster through the end of the current fiscal year (September 2025).
This decision was made by the interim management of USAGM in accordance with a presidential decree that provides for the reduction of inefficient spending from the federal budget.
Despite financial challenges, RFE/RL continued broadcasting but was forced to cut costs. Hundreds of staff were placed on partially paid leave, and collaboration with freelance contributors was curtailed.
Background
USAGM is an independent U.S. government agency overseeing news broadcasting in more than 60 languages to over 400 million people weekly. Its networks include RFE/RL, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio Martí), the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), and the Open Technology Fund.
USAGM’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 was $950 million, with approximately $153 million earmarked for RFE/RL.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, independent international news organization founded and funded by the U.S. Congress via USAGM. Its programming reaches nearly 50 million people weekly in 23 countries, including Ukraine, russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.
Author: Danylo Pievchev