U.S. Agency For Global Media CEO Skips Congressional Hearing As Members Charge VOA Is Undercutting U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda

Pack Skips Hearing

The drama over allegations of politicization of the U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA continued THURSDAY (9/25) with the agency's CEO MICHAEL PACK defying a subpoena to testify at a House hearing, angering a bipartisan group of Congresspersons who said that PACK, a conservative documentary producer and former CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING SVP/Television Programming appointed by President TRUMP earlier this year, has undercut the government's foreign policy agenda by restricting the independence of journalists at the VOICE OF AMERICA. PACK has overhauled the agency by firing several senior managers, freezing funding, and delaying approval of visa renewals for journalists.

The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Chairman ELIOT ENGEL (D-NY) called PACK's actions "a mockery of a U.S. agency that has long enjoyed bipartisan support” and called on PACK to resign or be fired; Ranking Member MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX) said that PACK's moves undermined foreign policy goals and criticized PACK for freezing spending on the OPEN TECHNOLOGY FUND, leading to problems for protestors in HONG KONG and BELARUS. ENGEL said that PACK claimed that he was skipping the hearing because he had his own hearing scheduled about journalists at the VOA Urdu Service over a video that the administration felt was favorable to JOE BIDEN. The WASHINGTON POST reported that ENGEL alleged PACK “manufactured this conflict to get out of being here today.”

PACK has alleged "gross managerial incompetence" as the reason for his actions. One committee member, Rep. SCOTT PERRY (R-PA), supported PACK, saying, "I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not willing to blame Mr. PACK for everything."

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