US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at cutting seven federal agencies, including the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which handles the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty media corporation and other media outlets.
The executive order, signed late in the evening of March 14, also targets homelessness, labour disputes and community development agencies.
According to the decree, the heads of the agencies named in the decree must submit a report to the Presidential Budget Office confirming “full compliance with this decree and explaining which components or functions of the public agency, if any, are required by law and to what extent.”
The management of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Corporation has not yet commented on the decree.
USAGM-an independent U.S. government agency that broadcasts news and information in nearly 50 languages to about 361 million people.
USAGM’s FY 2025 budget request was $950 million to fund all of its operations for media outlets such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Marti (Cuba), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), and the Open Technology Fund.
During his first term as head of state, US President Donald Trump criticised USAGM for its editorial independence and broadcast strategy. With the start of his second term, he has again expressed dissatisfaction with the agency.
Supporters of the agency believe that USAGM’s media outlets are an important tool of US diplomacy.
In addition to USAGM, the executive order covers the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Centre at the Smithsonian Institution, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency.