Employees, agencies take legal action to save government-funded media
Why it matters: Their lawsuit followed a separate legal action against the administration from sister broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty last week. Collectively, the efforts suggest impacted journalists and press advocacy groups won't let government media die without a fight.
The RFE/RL lawsuit argues it's illegal for USAGM to pull Congressionally appropriated grants to USAGM broadcast agencies.
The Open Technology Fund, an independent non-profit that's a subdivision within the USAGM, has also sued USAGM for withholding funds.
State of play: The coalition that filed for a temporary restraining order includes VOA employees, press freedom groups Reporters Without Borders and the NewsGuild-CWA and government worker advocacy groups.
The initial lawsuit was filed to seek relief from efforts to shutter VOA and its sister networks, said VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, who is named as a plaintiff on the lawsuit.
Widakuswara is joined by VOA journalist Jessica Jerreat and USAGM director of strategy and performance assessment Kathryn Neeper as named plaintiffs on the complaint. There are four unnamed USAGM employees who are also listed.
In an interview, Widakuswara said employees began organizing a legal effort shortly after they were placed on leave earlier this month.
In addition to press freedom concerns, the lawsuit is meant to address the irreparable harm the Trump administration's actions have had on the careers of VOA employees, as well as the risks associated with losing access to their salaries, benefits and legal support.
There are currently nine USAGM journalists in jail in places like Vietnam, Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Myanmar.
The big picture: The VOA was created more than 80 years ago to combat Nazi propaganda during WWII. Its mission has always been to promote democracy and American interests abroad through fact-driven journalism, regardless of which political party is in power.
The Trump administration believes VOA and other government-funded broadcasters should align their coverage with the goals of the administration, per David Seide, a lawyer representing the VOA employees in their lawsuit.
Between the lines: A legal firewall is supposed to protect VOA from any government interference, but those boundaries were tested during the first Trump administration.
A judge, for example, granted an injunction in 2020 in response to a legal complaint alleging former Trump-era USAGM CEO Michael Pack violated the First Amendment by interfering with editorial decisions made at the VOA.
In 2020, OTF sued USAGM and Pack for withholding its Congressionally appropriated funds and trying to overhaul its board. An appeals court sided with OTF and blocked Pack's efforts with an emergency stay.
Catch up quick: The Trump administration earlier this month ordered nearly all 1,300 employees of VOA to be placed on leave and said it would cut funding for other USAGM broadcasters and subsidiaries, such as Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and OTF.
Those orders were given by Kari Lake, a Trump ally who was named USAGM special adviser in late February.
Lake canceled USAGM's 15-year lease and has since suggested that the agency needs to be reduced "to the bare minimum and start fresh."
Zoom out: The gutting of USAGM comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to cut government spending through a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk. Musk has called for VOA to be shut down.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump's Pick To Oversee Social Security COLA Says 'Need To Sunset' Program
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's pick for commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics has argued for "sunsetting" Social Security, calling it a "Ponzi scheme." Trump nominated Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni to lead the BLS less than two weeks after firing the agency's former commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, in response to weaker-than-expected job numbers. The dismissal has fueled concerns that upcoming BLS reports could be altered to advance Trump's political agenda. Newsweek has contacted Antoni for comment via his profile on the Heritage Foundation's website. Why It Matters Social Security provides benefits to more than 70 million Americans every month, paying out retirement, survivor and disability benefits. Often referred to as the "third rail" of American politics for its enduring popularity, advocating against the program is considered politically perilous to members of either party. The BLS is the federal agency responsible for producing essential inflation data, including the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers—the official index used to calculate Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments. As commissioner, Antoni would oversee how that data is produced and published. President Donald Trump listens to questions from reporters after speaking on economic data in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., on August 7. President Donald Trump listens to questions from reporters after speaking on economic data in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., on August 7. Win McNamee/GETTY What To Know Speaking on KTRH's Houston's Morning News in December, Antoni said Social Security was set up as a "Ponzi scheme" where "today's investors are—their funds are being used to pay yesterday's investors." A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment setup where money from new investors is used to pay existing ones. Social Security payments are financed from a dedicated payroll tax collected from current workers. Any excess that is not used is kept in dedicated trust funds: the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund and the Disability Insurance trust fund. These trust funds are scheduled to reach depletion in 2034 unless Congress acts, according to the 2025 Social Security Trustees report. "And unless you are going to grow the number of investors at an exponential rate, that system is eventually going to collapse. Well, since we can't grow the workforce at an exponential rate, especially today when our population is actually in a state of decline, you're not going to be able to sustain a Ponzi scheme like Social Security," Antoni continued. "Eventually you need to sunset the program." Antoni said current benefits need not be touched, but future retirees should not rely on the program. He advocated for transitioning to a system that uses private accounts "for just them." "There's plenty of money available to pay for folks who are already retired," he said. "But the people who are going to retire 10, 20, even 30, or certainly 40 years from now—I'm sorry, but the program is not going to be viable at that time." Antoni argued for "some kind of transition program where, unfortunately, you'll need a generation of people who pay Social Security taxes but never actually receive any of those benefits," he continued. "And that sounds harsh, but unfortunately that's the price to pay for unwinding a Ponzi scheme that was foisted on the American people by the Democrats in the 1930s." Who Is E.J. Antoni? Antoni is the chief economist for the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, which published Project 2025. According to his bio on its website, he was previously "an economist at Texas Public Policy Foundation and has taught courses ranging from labor economics to money and banking." He also holds master's and doctoral degrees in economics. Writing on Truth Social regarding Antoni's appointment to the BLS, Trump said, "E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE." In a statement on X, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said Antoni would "provide the American people with fair and accurate economic data they can rely on." What People Are Saying White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers told Newsweek: "President Trump selected Dr. E.J. Antoni III to restore America's trust in the jobs data that has had major issues, without any real attempt at resolution, for years. Antoni's education and vast experience as an economist has prepared him to produce accurate public data for businesses, households, and policymakers to inform their decision-making." Democratic Representative John B. Larson of Connecticut said in a news release on August 11: "It should alarm everyone when a yes-man determined to end Social Security is installed in this position. I call on every Senate Republican to stand with Democrats and reject this extreme nominee—before our seniors are denied the benefits they earned through a lifetime of hard work." Jason Furman, a Harvard economist and former chair of Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, posted on X: "I don't think I have ever publicly criticized any Presidential nominee before. But E.J. Antoni is completely unqualified to be BLS Commissioner. He is an extreme partisan and does not have any relevant expertise. He would be a break from decades of nonpartisan technocrats." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the Senate will confirm Antoni's nomination to lead the BLS, which is an independent agency under the Labor Department.
The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Bessent calls for steep interest rate cuts
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that short term interest rates should be 1.5 to 1.75 percentage points lower than their current level, keeping up the administration's pressure campaign on the Federal Reserve. Bessent called for a half-point reduction in September at the next meeting of the Fed's interest rate-setting committee, starting a series of cuts that would lower rates substantially below their current level of 4.25 to 4.5 percent. 'We could go into a series of rate cuts here, starting with a 50 basis point rate cut in September,' he said on the Bloomberg News television network. 'We should probably be 150, 175 lower. I think the committee needs to step back.' Bessent's remarks were his clearest yet on what should happen with short-term interest rates. Treasury secretaries, which handles debt issuance and tax collection, don't traditionally weigh in on monetary policy, which is left to the Fed. While Bessent has called the Fed's independence on monetary policy a 'jewel box' not to be tampered with, he has also joined President Trump and other administration officials in criticizing the bank's handling of interest rates. Trump has been calling for interest rate cuts since the beginning of the year and has nicknamed Fed Chair Jerome Powell 'Too Late' due to his reluctance to begin cuts this year and the bank's sluggish response to post-pandemic inflation. The Fed has kept interbank lending rates at an effective level of 4.33 percent since January after making three cuts in the back half of last year. The Fed has been waiting to see the effects of tariffs on the economy. Inflation held steady from June to July at a 2.7-percent annual increase in consumer price index (CPI) after ticking up from 2.4 percent in May. The job market slowed down significantly over the past three months, adding just 106,000 jobs from May through July. Asked Wednesday if a half-percent rate cut in September would signal that the fundamentals of the economy are not in good shape, Bessent said the signal would be one of transition. 'That signals that there's an adjustment, and that rates are too constrictive,' he said. FPowell has said recently that he believes interest rates are now 'modestly restrictive,' meaning that inflation-adjusted interest rates are lowering potential profitability and restraining the level of investment. Bessent criticized Powell's reliance and reactivity to incoming data, which the Fed chair has often stressed during his tenure as chair. 'He's not Alan Greenspan, who was very forward-thinking. They try to be more data-driven, which I think is a mistake,' Bessent said. 'It's just very old-fashioned thinking.'
The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Zelensky warns Trump ‘Putin is bluffing' ahead of Alaska summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday sent a warning to President Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'bluffing' about being open to peace, ahead of a high-stakes summit between the U.S. and Russian leaders in Alaska set for Friday. Zelensky made his remarks alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in remarks following a video conference call with Trump and other European leaders. They said the call was aimed at setting 'the course for this meeting in the right way.' Trump has floated 'land swaps' between Russia and Ukraine as a path to peace, a possibility that Zelensky has resisted, drawing the U.S. president's ire. 'I stress that any questions concerning our country's territorial integrity cannot be discussed without regard for our people, for the will of our people and the Ukrainian constitution,' Zelensky said Wednesday. Merz said Ukraine is willing to discuss territorial questions, but only if a ceasefire is implemented on the current frontline, throwing cold water on reported Russian demands for Ukrainian withdrawals as a condition to halt the fighting. The two leaders spoke to reporters in Berlin. A translation of their remarks was provided by Sky News. Zelensky said he told Trump to expect Putin to downplay the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy and its military as a way to deter additional penalties. Trump has held off imposing additional sanctions on Russia and blew past a deadline last week to impose sanctions, instead announcing the face-to-face with Putin. 'In reality, the sanctions are very effective, and they're hurting the Russian military economy,' Zelensky said. Merz said that Zelensky and European leaders made 'clear' to Trump that a ceasefire along the current frontlines 'needs to be the starting point' for broader peace talks. Merz said there will be no discussion of legal recognition of Russian-occupied territory, rejecting another major pillar of Moscow's demands. Russia occupies an estimated 20 percent of Ukrainian territory but lays claim to four areas it only partially controls. Putin is reportedly calling for Ukraine to retreat from territory in the Donbas region that is not occupied by Russia. Zelensky said the leaders 'briefly talked about' security guarantees for Ukraine and emphasized that Russia should not be given a veto to block Ukraine from joining NATO, another red line for Moscow. Merz added that Trump 'largely' shares these positions. 'So if in Alaska there's no movement on the Russian side, then the US and the Europeans need to increase the pressure. President Trump knows this position. He shares them largely so I can say we've had a very good, constructive talk,' he said.
