Radio Free Europe sues after Trump administration halts funding

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sued Kari Lake and the Trump administration Tuesday over efforts to defund the organization.

Last week, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which funds the radio station and Voice of America (VOA).

Filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., the lawsuit says the radio station's funding immediately froze and it has not been paid a $7.4 million invoice submitted Monday. The station claims the freeze undermines Congress’s power of the purse.

“Whether to disburse funds as directed by appropriations laws, and whether to make those funds available through grants as directed by the International Broadcasting Act, is not an optional choice for the agency to make. It is the law. Urgent relief is needed to compel the agency to follow the law,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit warns the network will soon have to lay off staff if the funding does not resume flowing. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty publishes content in 27 languages for 23 countries across Europe and Asia, reaching a weekly audience of more than 47 million people.

“This is not the time to cede terrain to the propaganda and censorship of America’s adversaries,” Stephen Capus, the network’s CEO, said 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.”

Trump picked Lake, a former television anchor in Arizona who later ran for governor and senator, to lead the VOA as the administration looks to effectively dismantle USAGM, its parent agency. Lake has been installed as a senior adviser at USAGM.

The Hill has reached out to USAGM for comment.

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