Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sues Trump administration over canceled contract
Source: NPR
March 18, 2025 7:30 PM ET
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to try to block it from terminating all federal funds for the U.S.-backed broadcaster.
In a federal lawsuit, the network argues that the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has violated the Constitution and federal laws by withholding money Congress expressly allocated for the broadcaster. USAGM disburses funds to U.S.-backed international networks, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, that serve foreign lands without a free or robust press.
"This is not the time to cede terrain to the propaganda and censorship of America's adversaries," said Stephen Capus, the president and chief executive of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, in a statement. "We believe the law is on our side and that the celebration of our demise by despots around the world is premature." The network says it presents news and information to 47 million people each week in 27 languages across 23 countries, including Afghanistan, Hungary, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and Ukraine.
It is part of an historic effort at soft power, launched in 1950 to reach people living behind the Iron Curtain. It aims to advertise American ideals by presenting the news in its complexity, even when it involves debate or dissent. The lawsuit names USAGM and two officials, Senior Adviser Kari Lake and Acting Chief Executive Victor Morales. The agency, Lake and Morales have not responded to NPR's requests for comment.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/18/nx-s1-5332379/rfe-rl-sues-trump-usagm-kari-lake
Link to Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty PRESS RELEASE - RFE/RL Sues USAGM to Block Termination of Federal Grant
Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://about.rferl.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RFE-RL-Inc-v.-Lake-et-al-25-cv-00799.pdf