European Leaders Debate How to Fund Radio Free America Following Trump Funding Cuts

European leaders met in Brussels to discuss how to fund RFE after Trump terminated U.S. funding (Wikimedia Commons)

European leaders are looking to fund Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Voice of America (VOA) following an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on March 14 that reduced funding for several free press outlets, including RFE and VOA. 

Trump’s executive order terminated grants approved by the United States Congress and laid off nearly the entire workforce of 1,300 employees, which dealt a significant blow to the ability of RFE and VOA to make uncensored news accessible to people worldwide, especially in countries with heavy media censorship. According to RFE itself, Stephen Capus, the President and Chief Executive Officer of RFE and VOA, called Trump’s cancellation of funding for RFE and VOA “a massive gift to America’s enemies.” He acknowledged that limiting RFE and VOA’s reach would leave 50 million people worldwide without “access to the truth about America and the world.” 

The press networks under the USAGM reach around 426 million people. According to Euro News, their roots can be traced to the Cold War, when the U.S. government sought to expand U.S. influence worldwide and fight media censorship and totalitarianism by funding these networks. Today, the collective agencies reach people in authoritarian regimes like those of China, North Korea, Belarus, Iran, and Russia, where media is heavily suppressed. 

European leaders have expressed their concern regarding the pull of American funding. Kaja Kallas, an EU foreign policy chief, labeled RFE “a beacon of democracy” and emphasized the difficulty of finding new funding sources, as reported by Reuters. Czech politicians are attempting to rally support from leaders of the EU to find new funding, as RFE is a Prague-based broadcaster. As reported by RFE itself, the Czech European Affairs Minister Martin Dvorak told reporters that some European nations—including Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic—have already expressed their support. The continuation and strengthening of RFE is in the interests of EU countries to counter propaganda and Russia and Belarus’ media suppression. This effort is similar to how RFE was used by the U.S. government during the Cold War. 

The European Affairs Minister Jessica Rozencratz spoke about the importance of maintaining RFE, saying, “Radio Free Europe really continues to be an important voice for freedom and democracy, especially in those places where it is most needed,” according to AP. 

According to BBC, Trump’s move to cut funding for the free press is in stark contrast to the media policies of nations like China, Russia, and Iran, which have heavily funded their state broadcasters to counter Western media. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Pekov told reporters that cutting funding was more of an internal decision of the U.S., as RFE and VOA “can hardly be classified as popular and in demand in the Russian Federation, so it doesn’t concern us,” according to Reuters.