Open Technology Fund Sues Administration For $20M in Missing Funds (axios.com) 25
The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is suing the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) over roughly $20 million in congressionally appropriated funds it says the government is refusing to provide, Axios has learned. From the report: There's bipartisan uproar from Congress over the funding that OTF says is being withheld. The USAGM, whose new CEO is seeking to replace OTF leaders with Trump loyalists, is required by law to provide the funding via federal grants, but it has given shifting rationales for why the money has been held up. The OTF is a government-supported nonprofit focused on advancing internet freedom. Without funds, it can't support work by activist journalists in places like Hong Kong and Belarus, where authorities are increasingly cracking down on internet freedom. The lawsuit, set to be filed Thursday in federal claims court, alleges the USAGM breached its contracts with the OTF in three ways:
It withheld about $9.4 million in funding that it owes under OTF's 2020 grant agreement.
It withheld an additional $9.8 million in prior OTF program grants held by Radio Free Asia, OTF's former parent organization.
A USAGM senior adviser "engaged in transparently pretextual efforts to force OTF into breaching its grant agreement."
It withheld about $9.4 million in funding that it owes under OTF's 2020 grant agreement.
It withheld an additional $9.8 million in prior OTF program grants held by Radio Free Asia, OTF's former parent organization.
A USAGM senior adviser "engaged in transparently pretextual efforts to force OTF into breaching its grant agreement."
Re: (Score:1)
Not their job. Congress' job. Kick out the traitor.
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The funds were already promised to them. Regardless of personal opinions, if government makes a promise and the other party does not change their part of the promise, it must keep that promise.
The legal claim is exactly that; government is one-sidedly breaking their promise.
You wouldn't want government to be liars, would you?
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the government can unilaterally break any promise, they're immune to prosecution
Fix your government, then.
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>> the government can unilaterally break any promise, they're immune to prosecution
> Fix your government, then.
It's metaphysically impossible without changing the incentive structures, as GP pointed out. Unless you have angels or Jedi knights running the show, but they seem to be in short supply. All the other humans look out for their own self-interest first.
We're stuck in a loop where we believe people need other people to tell them what to do because they can't make good decisions as a group,
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The big problem here though is that it isn't the prerogative of the USAGM to change the funding. It is the House's job to control the purse strings of the US. It is the USAGM to dole out those funds that the House has allocated
This is just another example of the Trump administration trying to extend the office of the president into areas that constitutionally belong to other branches of the government.
****Note: I realize that Trump doesn't directly control the USAGM but when "the USAGM, (whose new CEO) is s
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This probably goes the other way, rather than USAGM CEO hoping to get Trump's approval, Trump likely appointed the guy as a reward for donations, or because the guy promised to dismantle things. Trump is all amount getting out the sledgehammers and destroying the government, and every person he appoints to an office so far has had that goal as well.
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The government is NOT immune from prosecution. Trump may think this, but his delusions are not law. It is true that the executive branch has been grabbing more and more power over the last few decades, and congress has been unwilling to rein this in, but laws still apply.
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Re: No funds for trouble makers (Score:5, Insightful)
Are you trolling or are you just a fucking retard? The only troublemakers seem to be appointed cronies these days that get installed just to cause chaos. Corruption should not be applauded. Especially when said corruption costs the taxpayers even more money and sabotages efforts to maintain a free, open and functional internet.
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Remember, when Trump was elected it was because he was God's chosen candidate. When Obama was elected it was the Devil's work. Once you can hold two contradictory beliefs in your head at the same time and let go of the burden of thought then life is so much simpler.
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Are you trolling or are you just a fucking retard?
He's a trolling fucking retard. e.g. https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org] https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org] https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org] https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org] https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org]
Not surprising (Score:1, Flamebait)
The con artist has a penchant for admiring dictators. Look at how in the last 3 plus years he has never said a single bad word about his Russian handler Putin. When challenged about Putin killing those who oppose him, the con artist went out of his way to defend Putin while condemning the U.S.
The most recent instance of the con artist's traitorous activities was when he was informed Russia had put bounties on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, paid to the Taliban. What was the con artist's response? No one e
Like Hong Hong and Belarus and the USA. (Score:2)
There's your reason.
The OS/2 Users Need that Money !!! (Score:2)
Please vote the criminal gang (Score:2)
out in November.