Guild members at Radio Free Asia advocated on Capitol Hill for Congress to work with President Trump to fully restore Radio Free Asia (RFA), which was effectively shut down earlier this year following sweeping cuts to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The closure has left dozens of journalists without jobs and has silenced a critical voice for press freedom abroad.
RFA employees, represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, are among those directly impacted by the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle key components of USAGM. RFA is a nonprofit independent newsroom that relies on Congressional funding, which was included in the last continuing resolution passed by Congress in March and signed by the president. Today the majority of Guild members at RFA were laid off because of the lack of funding, cutting off an essential tool for countering disinformation in countries where local journalists are censored or imprisoned for their reporting.
“We went to Capitol Hill to lobby for Radio Free Asia so our funding can be restored because we are one of the few news outlets that broadcast news into repressive regimes,” said Sonam Singeri, unit chair of the Radio Free Asia Guild and journalist in the Tibetan language service. “We got very good responses from the chiefs of staff of many members of Congress and I hope we can get the funding restored soon so we can get back to work and continue providing news to people living in repressive countries.”
NewsGuild-CWA members and leaders met with lawmakers and staff urging them to act quickly to restore service. They’re calling on Congress to work with President Trump to reinstate funding for RFA and restore its editorial independence.
“Silencing RFA emboldens authoritarian governments and weakens America’s moral authority,” said Jon Schleuss, president of The NewsGuild-CWA. “We’re not just talking about jobs—we’re talking about the global fight for truth, the ideal of a free press and the lives of people who depend on us to tell their stories.”
In March The NewsGuild-CWA joined other unions and journalists in a lawsuit challenging the closure of USAGM. Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and others were also impacted by the administration’s actions. The lawsuit argues that the administration violated federal law by attempting to eliminate independent news services without congressional authorization.
Late Wednesday the full bench of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit lifted a stay that had blocked a preliminary injunction ordering the U.S. Agency for Global Media to distribute Congressionally mandated funds to grantees including Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and others.
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