Two bills Congress has approved would limit the powers of USAGM's Michael Pack, including giving the Open Technology Fund more time to defend its budget
Jessica Jerreat / Voice of America : See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
This lands mid-escalation between USAGM CEO Michael Pack and the Open Technology Fund. Days earlier, documents showed Pack seeking to cut OTF's funding, which supports internet access in tightly controlled countries; since August, OTF has been suing USAGM for withholding $20M in Congressional funds, and an October DC court ruling had already voided Pack's replacement of OTF's board as unauthorized.
The two bills Congress approved are the legislative branch stepping into that fight directly — not just adjudicating it, but constraining Pack's authority and buying OTF procedural time to defend its own budget line.
First-order effects
- Pack's ability to redirect or cut OTF funding is now hemmed in by statute rather than litigation alone, and OTF gains more time to make its budget case before any cut takes effect.
Second-order effects
- Congressional action strengthens OTF's hand in its pending lawsuit over the withheld $20M, signaling that the funder of last resort for anti-censorship tools retains appropriations-level backing even as its parent agency tries to shrink it.
Third-order effects
- The episode frames a structural question about grantee independence under politically appointed agency leadership — though the later elimination of USAGM in 2025, which cut OTF's budget outright, shows statutory guardrails did not ultimately protect the fund from executive restructuring.
The trend: Congress is increasingly using appropriations riders to check political appointees' control over independent grant-making bodies like the Open Technology Fund.