US District Court Halts Attempt to Defund RFE/RL
“The Court concludes, in keeping with Congress’s longstanding determination, that the continued operation of RFE/RL is in the public interest,” judge writes.
(WASHINGTON) — Today, Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted RFE/RL’s request for a temporary restraining order in its lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) over the termination of RFE/RL’s congressionally appropriated funding.
In his order, the judge held that USAGM did not adequately justify its decision to terminate RFE/RL’s grant and that forcing RFE/RL to close out its operations while it challenges the agency’s decision would cause “irreparable harm.” He also noted, “…in keeping with Congress’s longstanding determination, that the continued operation of RFE/RL is in the public interest.”
RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said:
“We appreciate Judge Lamberth’s thoughtful and airtight ruling to prevent USAGM from ignoring the will of Congress. We look forward to further advancing our case that it’s unconstitutional to deny us the funds that Congress has appropriated to RFE/RL for the rest of the fiscal year.
This ruling further sends a strong message to our journalists around the world: Their mission as designed by Congress is a worthy and valuable one and should continue. For 75 years, RFE/RL has been closely aligned with American national security interests by fighting censorship in many of the world’s most repressive societies.”
Shortly before yesterday’s hearing, USAGM notified the Court that it will take immediate steps to disburse $7.5 million, equivalent to two weeks of operations. However, the hearing went forward to determine whether to grant RFE/RL a temporary restraining order to forestall closing out its operations, which Judge Lamberth issued today.
The next step will be a decision on RFE/RL’s request for a preliminary injunction requiring USAGM to provide the approximately $77 million that Congress appropriated for RFE/RL’s activities for the rest of the fiscal year. The Court is expected to rule on that in the coming weeks.
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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach a weekly audience of nearly 50 million people in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.