Radio Free Europe (RFE) announced on March 18 that it had filed a lawsuit against the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), along with USAGM officials Kari Lake and Victor Morales, to block their attempt to terminate RFE/RL's federal subsidy.
The lawsuit claims that the denial of funds approved by Congress for RFE/RL violates federal law and the United States Constitution, which gives Congress exclusive authority over federal spending.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
"This is not the time to cede the playing field to propaganda and censorship by America's adversaries," said RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus.
"We believe that the law is on our side and that the celebration of our downfall by despots around the world is premature," he added.
Morales is the acting executive director of USAGM, while Lake is a senior advisor to Morales.
News of the lawsuit comes as European Union politicians say they are continuing their efforts for possible support for RFE/RL after the US government decided to cut funding for the Prague-based broadcaster, over concerns that its closure would be a blow to pro-democracy media.
Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvorak told reporters in Brussels that several nations had so far supported the initiative, but that the bloc must act quickly because "it would be a big mistake to let this institution die."
"We need to generate interest and meet with commissioners and some states. At the moment, this initiative has been supported by seven other nations, and after we announce the initiative at the General Affairs Council, more countries will join us," Dvorak said, adding that the issue must be resolved within "a few weeks."
At the initiative of the Czech Republic, a meeting of foreign ministers from the bloc's 27 members on March 17 discussed the future of RFE/RL due to cuts in funding approved by Congress, which were cut by President Donald Trump's administration over the weekend.
EU countries express support for RFE/RL
Although Dvorak did not want to reveal the names of the countries that expressed support for this move, diplomatic sources told RFE/RL that among the countries supporting the initiative are Germany, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic and the three Baltic countries.
"The financial challenges facing Radio Free Europe are seriously threatening independent journalism in regions where media freedom is stifled, from Russia and Belarus to Iran and Afghanistan," Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said in a post on X.
"If RFE/RL disappears, disinformation and propaganda will fill the void. That would be a direct victory for those who want to undermine democracy... Europe cannot allow that. Protecting free media means protecting democracy. Access to fact-based reporting is not just a principle, but a necessity for security and fundamental freedoms," he added.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski said after a meeting of foreign ministers on March 17 that he sensed "some interest" from other EU members in his country's initiative, and that "it is our responsibility to seriously address this issue."
History of Radio Free Europe during the Cold War
Lipawski's Polish colleague, Radek Sikorski, also expressed support for RFE/RL, recalling how his father listened to the station, as well as the Voice of America, during the Cold War.
"That's how we learned the basic facts about our countries because communist propaganda was tightly controlled," he told reporters. "And these institutions continue to do similar work for autocracies today."
"Sweden has signed a Czech initiative to find ways in which the EU and its member states can support Radio Free Europe and its role as a voice of freedom, where it is most needed," said Swedish Minister for European Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz.
On March 14, Trump signed an executive order aimed at downsizing seven federal agencies, including USAGM, which oversees RFE/RL and other federal broadcasters.
The order, which also targets agencies dealing with homelessness, labor disputes and community development, gave the heads of each named government unit seven days to submit a report attesting to full compliance.
Hours after the executive order was released, a letter from USAGM stated that the Congressional-approved authorization for RFE/RL had been revoked.
RFE/RL chief Capus said that ending the subsidy agreement would be "a huge gift to America's enemies," a sentiment echoed by many media rights activists, democracy advocates, and politicians.
'The key to salvation'
US Senator Jeanne Shashin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: "The Trump administration's latest effort to dismantle entities established and funded by Congress that provide accurate, impartial information to hundreds of millions of people in countries where press freedom is under attack undermines America's commitment to democracy."
"If President Trump succeeds, those who depend on US-backed independent media as an alternative to Chinese and Kremlin-backed outlets, as well as those living under authoritarian regimes, will lose a crucial lifeline."
USAGM is an independent U.S. government agency that oversees the broadcasting of news and information in nearly 50 languages to approximately 361 million people each week.
The total budget request for USAGM for fiscal year 2025 was $950 million to fund all of its operations and capital investments.
These include media outlets such as Radio Free Europe, Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, the Cuban Broadcasting Office (Radio Marti), the Middle East Broadcasting Network (MBN), and the Open Technology Fund.
The budget request for RSE for 2025 was about $153 million, according to USAGM documents.
RFE/RL operates in 23 countries and in 27 languages across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.
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