A US court has granted Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's request for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The court ordered USAGM to disburse the remaining appropriated funds for fiscal year 2025, ruling that the agency violated legal obligations by imposing unfavorable new terms and not engaging in good-faith negotiations. This decision has drawn support from media watchdogs and analysts due to the impact on RFE/RL's operation. The ruling is viewed as essential for RFE/RL to continue its mission of accurate journalism across 27 languages and 23 countries.
As far as this Court is aware, it is unprecedented for an agency to demand that entirely new terms govern its decades-old working relationship with a grantee entity and then stop responding, particularly when the agency is statutorily obligated to grant yearly congressional appropriations to that specific entity by name.
USAGM's flagrant disregard for its funding responsibilities has caused RFE/RL to suffer mass furloughs, cancellation of programming, and inevitable damage to the global influence that RFE/RL has built over decades.
This victory provides our journalists with the momentum necessary to continue reaching the nearly 47 million people each week who rely on our journalism for the facts and to counter malicious propaganda from authoritarian governments.
The Court ordered that USAGM must disburse RFE/RL's remaining congressionally appropriated funds for fiscal year 2025, confirming that the agency's actions violate the law.
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