The United States Agency for Global Media has formally transmitted a Congressional Notification to House appropriators advising that the company will terminate and stop funding the Hungarian Language Service at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, ending U.S. taxpayer help for woke content material broadcast right into a NATO-allied nation.
Acting United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) chief govt officer Kari Lake despatched a proper congressional notification to House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart. The company transmitted the discover pursuant to part 7015(a) and the International Broadcasting Operations heading of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, as carried ahead beneath the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025.
The notification advises Congress that, following session with the Department of State, USAGM is “terminating and now not funding the Hungarian Language Service at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) often called Szabad Europa.”
According to the doc transmitted Wednesday, the Administration’s place is that “The unique justification for including Szabad Europa to RFE/RL’s programming lineup in 2019 is just not aligned with U.S. nationwide pursuits,” and that the programming “has undermined President Trump’s overseas coverage by opposing the duly elected Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban.” The notification additionally underscores that Orban “was (and is) the chief of Hungary, which is each a robust U.S. ally and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).”
The letter additional conveys that U.S. taxpayer cash used for the event or distribution of U.S. government-funded content material to audiences in NATO-allied nations will finish, stating that “USAGM will likely be ending using any and all U.S. taxpayer cash for the aim of creating content material for, or distributing content material to, the populations of our NATO allies,” and that the main target going ahead is to reallocate sources “in step with Administration priorities,” moderately than for programming disseminated inside allied nations which can be members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The notification additionally notes that USAGM, the Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and non-federal grantees that obtain taxpayer funding “don’t exist to serve the pursuits, insurance policies, or agenda of the European Union or another overseas authorities, federation, or worldwide physique, however moderately exist solely to serve the American folks,” and the Administration’s place is that ending the Hungarian service displays that normal.
