This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/news/615119-radio-liberty-unpaid-leave/
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US state-funded media puts employees on unpaid leave | US state-funded media puts employees on unpaid leave |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) says it has run out of funds because of Donald Trump’s executive order | |
| The US state-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) began furloughing staff at its Prague headquarters on Tuesday, citing the lack of congressional grants for April. | The US state-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) began furloughing staff at its Prague headquarters on Tuesday, citing the lack of congressional grants for April. |
| RFE/RL was originally created to spread pro-Western propaganda in the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. The network was initially funded by the CIA and currently receives grants from the US Congress. | RFE/RL was originally created to spread pro-Western propaganda in the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. The network was initially funded by the CIA and currently receives grants from the US Congress. |
| On March 14, President Donald Trump signed an executive order drastically reducing the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees RFE/RL and the Voice of America. On March 25, a DC judge temporarily blocked the USAGM from defunding RFE/RL. | On March 14, President Donald Trump signed an executive order drastically reducing the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees RFE/RL and the Voice of America. On March 25, a DC judge temporarily blocked the USAGM from defunding RFE/RL. |
| The news organization said on Tuesday that, despite the ruling, it has not received new money from the government. | The news organization said on Tuesday that, despite the ruling, it has not received new money from the government. |
| “Although USAGM rescinded its letter terminating RFE/RL’s grant agreement on March 26, RFE/RL has not received any of its congressionally appropriated funds since that date – and USAGM has not approved RFE/RL’s financial plan for April,” the news outlet wrote on its website. | “Although USAGM rescinded its letter terminating RFE/RL’s grant agreement on March 26, RFE/RL has not received any of its congressionally appropriated funds since that date – and USAGM has not approved RFE/RL’s financial plan for April,” the news outlet wrote on its website. |
| RFE/RL added that it has asked the judge to grant a temporary restraining order guaranteeing its funding in April and an injunction to ensure it will have the money “for the remainder of the current fiscal year.” | RFE/RL added that it has asked the judge to grant a temporary restraining order guaranteeing its funding in April and an injunction to ensure it will have the money “for the remainder of the current fiscal year.” |
| “Our staff and their families are now paying the price as RFE/RL continues to wait for USAGM to provide our congressionally appropriated funds,” RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement. | “Our staff and their families are now paying the price as RFE/RL continues to wait for USAGM to provide our congressionally appropriated funds,” RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement. |
| The White House has argued that the defunding of RFE/RL was part of Trump’s campaign to cut public spending and eliminate “unnecessary” bureaucracy. | The White House has argued that the defunding of RFE/RL was part of Trump’s campaign to cut public spending and eliminate “unnecessary” bureaucracy. |
| Tech billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has called for RFE/RL to be “shut down.” “Nobody listens to them anymore,” Musk wrote on X in February. |