8. Media Agencies (USAGM, CPB) · Notable · Needs Congress
Cut USAGM spending to under $700 million per year
Printed page 242 8. Media Agencies (USAGM, CPB)
“The USAGM’S current operations, properly managed, can be conducted on less than $700 million per year. Prior to the arrival of President Donald Trump’s appointees in June 2020, budgeting, financial responsibility, and spending totaled over $800 million per year, with virtually no oversight or supervision.”
What has happened
- Done
Congress funded USAGM below the Quote's threshold. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 appropriates $643,000,000 for "international broadcasting operations" and $9,700,000 for "broadcasting capital improvements" — $652,700,000 in all, against the "less than $700 million per year" the Quote asks for and the "over $800 million per year" it says was being spent. Of the operations amount, up to $72,720,000 may remain available for satellite transmissions, global network distribution and Internet freedom programs, and not less than $30,000,000 is reserved for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
- An ask that needs an act of Congress, and Congress enacted it, so it is done.
- The figures were read in the enrolled text of P.L. 119-75 at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ75/html/PLAW-119publ75.htm, Division F, Title I, under “RELATED AGENCY — United States Agency for Global Media”.
- The same account is what holds #637 at blocked and #628 at not started: Congress re-enacted USAGM as an independently funded related agency of State with its own Chief Executive Officer.
- Action
- restrict
- Object
- USAGM annual budget
- ID
- 621