Trump Admin Restores Funding to Radio Free Europe

The Trump administration has eased its efforts to defund Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Open Technology Fund after the organizations sued last week to have their funding reinstated.

On Tuesday, District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth temporarily blocked the Trump administration's efforts to remove all federal funding from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Open Technology Fund.

"The court concludes, in keeping with Congress' longstanding determination, that the continued operation of RFE/RL is in the public interest," Lamberth wrote.

Then on Wednesday, Kari Lake, who serves as President Donald Trump's top adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said in a letter to RFE/RL Chief Executive Steve Capus that her agency was rescinding her previous letter that had terminated their grant agreement.

"This rescission is without prejudice to USAGM's authority to terminate the grant at a later date if USAGM were to determine that such a termination was appropriate under the applicable law," Lake's letter read.

Lamberth had scheduled a hearing for Thursday morning on whether to order the Trump administration to restore funding for the programs but promptly adjourned in light of the previous day's events.

Last week, Trump had signed an executive order to eliminate the U.S. Agency for Global Media and by extension the groups that the agency funds. Radio Free Europe's lawsuit called for a recent $7.4 million invoice to be paid, warning that it would be forced to begin laying off staffers otherwise. The outlet produces content in 27 languages for 23 countries across Europe and Asia, reaching a weekly audience of more than 47 million people.

"The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's grant agreement would be a massive gift to America's enemies," Capus said in a statement. "The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years. Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker."