Court Ruling Allows Trump To Withhold USAGM Radio Funding

On Thursday night, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington issued a ruling allowing the Trump administration to temporarily continue withholding federal funding from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN). 

These organizations, supported by U.S. government grants, deliver independent news and information to regions with restricted press freedoms, including parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

The decision partially overturns two lower-court rulings from April 2025, which had blocked the administration’s efforts to defund these outlets. Those earlier rulings came in response to the Trump administration’s attempts to shutter the organizations, citing their alleged bias and redundancy. The lower courts had argued that cutting funds would undermine the outlets’ ability to provide credible, uncensored journalism in authoritarian regimes, potentially harming U.S. interests in promoting democracy and countering state-controlled narratives abroad.

The appeals court’s ruling grants the administration temporary authority to suspend funding while legal challenges proceed, marking a significant victory for President Trump’s broader agenda to reduce federal support for media organizations he has labeled as partisan or misaligned with his administration’s priorities.

RFE/RL, RFA, and MBN, overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), collectively reach millions of viewers and listeners in over 60 languages, often serving as critical sources of information in countries with heavy censorship or state-controlled media. For instance, RFE/RL has been a vital outlet for independent reporting in Russia and Ukraine, while MBN provides Arabic-language programming to counter extremist narratives in the Middle East. The organizations employ hundreds of journalists and support staff, many of whom work in challenging or dangerous environments.

Critics of the administration’s defunding efforts, including press freedom advocates and Democratic lawmakers, argue that withholding funds threatens the outlets’ operations and jeopardizes global perceptions of U.S. commitment to free expression.