It's "a massive gift to America's enemies." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty president Stephen Capus made no secret of his anger, on Friday, March 14, toward an executive order signed by Donald Trump classifying the US Agency for American Public Media Broadcasting Internationally (USAGM) as an "unnecessary bureaucratic activity." This presidential decision – taken in the context of massive budget cuts also affecting other agencies (notably the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Institute of Museum and Library Services) – means that the budgets of the Voice of America (VOA) media organization have been frozen.

Several international radio stations – Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks – as well as the website of the Open Technology Fund, an organization dedicated to promoting technologies that enable freedom of expression on the internet, have also had their funding withdrawn.

Founded in 1942 at the height of World War II, VOA's goal was to combat Nazi propaganda and provide a free voice on the conflict-torn continent of Europe. Funded by the US Congress, VOA was also a tool of influence during the Cold War decades against the USSR, as was its cousin Radio Free Europe – initially subsidized by the CIA.

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