Ranking Member Shaheen Condemns Kari Lake’s Assault on U.S. Supported Independent Media in Hungary

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on U.S. Agency for Global Media's (USAGM) Senior Advisor Kari Lake's attempts to eliminate funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Hungarian Language Service:

"As President Trump welcomes Orbán to the White House, Kari Lake is seeking to erode the press freedom that remains in Hungary by claiming to terminate Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Hungarian service. Attempting to terminate RFE/RL's Hungarian service dishonors those who stood up for freedom during Hungary's 1956 Uprising, when citizens demanded a free press and free radio.

"This Administration is complicit in the silencing of free and independent voices ahead of Hungary's upcoming parliamentary elections in April. Just last month, a media group owned by the Prime Minister's political allies took control of Hungary's most-read newspaper as the government continues to actively target civil society groups, including U.S. partners. As independent media vanish in Hungary, RFE/RL remains essential to ensuring Hungarians have access to truth-a longstanding American commitment to counter propaganda from Moscow and Beijing."

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