'Gift to America's enemies' – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America to be defunded

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America lose funding

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has announced the termination of its federal grant agreement with the outlet. Additionally, on March 16, the White House declared an end to funding for Voice of America (VOA). In a statement, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a declaration “ensuring that taxpayer money will no longer be spent on funding radical propaganda.”

RFE/RL President Stephen Capus called the defunding “a massive gift to America’s enemies.”

“Iranian ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk will celebrate the fall of Radio Free Europe after 75 years of operation. Handing victory to our adversaries strengthens them and weakens America.

Throughout our publication’s rich history, we have enjoyed bipartisan support. Fifty million people living in closed societies, who rely on us weekly for accurate news and information, will now be left without access to the truth about America and the world,” Capus added.

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Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing several federal agencies to cease operations that are not legally mandated.

The list of agencies affected by Trump’s decision includes:

• The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
• The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• The Institute of Museum and Library Services
• The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
• The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
• The Minority Business Development Agency
• The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) oversees U.S. government-funded media outlets such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia.

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In a statement on March 10, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83% of the programs under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had been canceled.

“A total of 5,200 annulled contracts amounted to tens of billions of dollars, which did not serve—and in some cases even harmed—the core national interests of the United States.

In coordination with Congress, we plan to manage the remaining 18% of programs more efficiently, as they continue to be funded by the State Department.

A huge thank you to the Department of Government Efficiency and our tireless staff, who worked countless hours to implement this long-overdue and historic reform,” Rubio stated.