Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sued Kari Lake (senior advisor at USAGM) and the Trump administration on Tuesday for attempting to deprive the organization of funding. UNN writes with reference to The Hill.
Details
Last week, the President of the United States signed an order to liquidate the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). It, in turn, funds the radio station and Voice of America (VOA). The lawsuit was filed on Monday, March 17, in federal court in Washington, D.C. It includes a request for the radio station's funding to be frozen immediately and its $7.4 million account not to be paid.
On Tuesday, Radio Liberty filed a counterclaim, as the network will have to lay off staff if funding is not restored. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty publishes content in 27 languages for 23 countries in Europe and Asia, reaching a weekly audience of over 47 million people.
Whether to pay funds in accordance with appropriation laws, and whether to make these funds available through grants in accordance with the International Broadcasting Act, is not an optional choice for the agency. This is the law. Urgent assistance is needed to force the agency to comply with the law
This is not the time to give ground to the propaganda and censorship of America's adversaries. "We believe that the law is on our side, and that the celebration of our death by despots around the world is premature," said Stephen Capus, CEO of the network.
Recall
Earlier, UNN reported that the Trump administration launched mass layoffs at Voice of America"