Trump signs order to slash staff at Voice of America, other US-funded media outlets

The Trump administration initiated significant reductions at Voice of America (VOA) and other government-funded pro-democracy media yesterday (15 March), with the agency's director confirming that all VOA employees have been placed on leave.

On Friday night (14 March), shortly after Congress approved its latest funding bill, President Donald Trump instructed his administration to scale back operations of multiple agencies to the minimum required by law. Among them was the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Marti, the Spanish-language broadcaster targeting Cuba.

Early Saturday, Kari Lake, a former Arizona gubernatorial and US Senate candidate recently appointed by Trump as a senior adviser to the agency, posted on X, urging employees to check their emails. This coincided with official notices informing VOA staff of their placement on paid administrative leave.

"For the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced," said Michael Abramowitz, VOA's director, in a statement. He noted that nearly all of the 1,300 employees were affected.

"VOA promotes freedom and democracy around the world by telling America's story and by providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny," Abramowitz added.

One journalist, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak publicly, commented, "We expected something like this to happen, and it just happened to be today."

Press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders denounced the move, stating it "condemns this decision as a departure from the US's historic role as a defender of free information and calls on the US government to restore VOA and urges Congress and the international community to take action against this unprecedented move."

The US Agency for Global Media also sent termination notices for grants funding Radio Free Asia and other affiliated programs. These networks provide US domestic news to international audiences, often in local languages. Outlets like Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Marti focus on countries with authoritarian governments, including China, North Korea, and Russia.

"The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's grant agreement would be a massive gift to America's enemies," said Stephen Capus, the network's President and CEO, in a statement.

Collectively, these networks reach an estimated 427 million people worldwide. Established during the Cold War, they have long played a role in promoting US influence and countering authoritarianism, alongside agencies like USAID, which Trump has also targeted for reductions.

The cuts mark a major shift away from a post-Cold War tradition that has historically received bipartisan support. VOA's leadership in the past has included figures like Dick Carlson, father of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.

Thomas Kent, a former president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said Trump's broader plans for these agencies remain unclear but warned of the consequences.

"Without the international broadcasting, the image of the United States and the Trump administration will be in the hands of others, including the administration's opponents, (and) countries and people who consider the United States an enemy," said Kent, who now works as an international media ethics consultant.

Meanwhile, Lake posted a video on X discussing cost-cutting efforts without addressing VOA's employees or mission. Filmed inside a VOA-leased building, she described the facility as a financial burden and expressed her intention to break the agency's 15-year lease.

"We're doing everything we can to cancel contracts that can be cancelled, save more, downsize and make sure there's no misuse of your dollars," she said.

The official notice to employees placed them on administrative leave while assuring continued salary and benefits "until otherwise notified." It also directed them to refrain from using agency facilities and to return government-issued equipment, such as phones and computers.

The Trump administration has already taken steps to exert control over VOA, including terminating contracts that allowed it to use content from independent news sources like The Associated Press. Additionally, it has barred AP from participating in presidential press pools and taken measures to regulate which media outlets are included in these pools.

Trump's directive also mandates cuts at several lesser-known federal institutions, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.