Millions for Internet Freedom, But Not One Cent For The State Department

H/T to John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review for the news that Congress will bypass State and send internet freedom initiative funding to the BBG:

The Broadcasting Board of Governors will receive $10 million under the compromise spending deal reached last week. President Obama effectively sided with the BBG over his own State Department in a funding dispute involving Internet circumvention work.

Obama and lawmakers agreed to language in the fiscal 2011 spending bill cutting the State Department’s share and giving the BBG a portion to “expand unrestricted access to information on the Internet.” The BBG operates five government-sponsored international broadcasting networks.

-- snip --

As a result of the deal, which still must be approved by Congress, the BBG is guaranteed $10 million for its anti-censorship work in China and other repressive regimes. Such efforts, for example, will allow Chinese citizens to circumvent the country’s firewall to access Voice of America on the Internet.

It's good news for Chinese hacktivists, but how odd that it had to come to this. The President unable to budge one of his own cabinet members?