The United States Agency for Global Media has formally transmitted a Congressional Notification to House appropriators advising that the agency will terminate and cease funding the Hungarian Language Service at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, ending U.S. taxpayer support for woke content broadcast into a NATO-allied nation.
Acting United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) chief executive officer Kari Lake sent a formal congressional notification to House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart. The agency transmitted the notice pursuant to section 7015(a) and the International Broadcasting Operations heading of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, as carried forward under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025.
The notification advises Congress that, following consultation with the Department of State, USAGM is “terminating and no longer funding the Hungarian Language Service at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) known as Szabad Europa.”
According to the document transmitted Wednesday, the Administration’s position is that “The original justification for adding Szabad Europa to RFE/RL’s programming lineup in 2019 is not aligned with U.S. national interests,” and that the programming “has undermined President Trump’s foreign policy by opposing the duly elected Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban.” The notification also underscores that Orban “was (and is) the leader of Hungary, which is both a strong U.S. ally and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).”
The letter further conveys that U.S. taxpayer money used for the development or distribution of U.S. government-funded content to audiences in NATO-allied countries will end, stating that “USAGM will be ending the use of any and all U.S. taxpayer money for the purpose of developing content for, or distributing content to, the populations of our NATO allies,” and that the focus going forward is to reallocate resources “consistent with Administration priorities,” rather than for programming disseminated inside allied nations that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The notification also notes that USAGM, the Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and non-federal grantees that receive taxpayer funding “do not exist to serve the interests, policies, or agenda of the European Union or any other foreign government, federation, or international body, but rather exist solely to serve the American people,” and the Administration’s position is that ending the Hungarian service reflects that standard.
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