WASHINGTON (BN24) — President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday ordered sweeping layoffs at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded international media organizations, pressing forward with a controversial plan to drastically downsize the nation’s global broadcasting operations despite active legal challenges and warnings that authoritarian regimes will benefit.
The action, which affects hundreds of employees, is being led by Kari Lake, a staunch Trump ally recently appointed to a senior post at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). In a statement, Lake defended the dismissals as a necessary overhaul of “a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy” and vowed to modernize U.S. global media in alignment with Trump-era foreign policy priorities.
“This is a long-overdue effort to dismantle a bureaucracy that resists reform,” Lake said, pledging to coordinate with the State Department and Congress to reshape the government’s voice abroad.
The mass firings come just months after Trump issued an executive order in March that froze operations at Voice of America (VOA) for the first time since its World War II-era founding in 1942. On Friday, termination notices were issued to 639 staffers following earlier rounds of contractor dismissals and voluntary departure offers. According to Lake, USAGM has now slashed roughly 1,400 positions, leaving only 250 employees across all agencies.
Among those laid off were journalists from VOA’s Persian service, some of whom had briefly been reinstated following the recent Israeli strikes on Iran. Their removal sparked fresh alarm given the timing and geopolitical implications.
The layoffs have triggered a lawsuit by employees who argue that the firings are unlawful, especially given that Congress had already approved funding for the agencies. Plaintiffs Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat, and Kate Neeper issued a joint statement condemning the move as a direct attack on American journalistic independence.
“This spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds U.S. ideals of democracy and freedom around the world,” they wrote. “Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and extremist groups are flooding the information space with anti-American propaganda. Do not cede this ground by silencing America’s voice.”
The backlash has been swift and bipartisan. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the layoffs undermine the very mission of U.S.-backed media and violate legislative intent.
“The decimation of U.S. broadcasting leaves authoritarian propaganda unchecked by U.S.-funded independent media and is a perversion of the law and congressional intent,” Shaheen said in a post on X. “It is a dark day for the truth.”
Trump has repeatedly criticized Voice of America throughout his presidency, arguing that its editorial independence has allowed for critical coverage of his administration. He has long questioned the value of the so-called “editorial firewall,” which legally protects U.S.-funded journalists from government interference.
Of the media arms affected, some outlets like Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe — historic instruments of U.S. soft power during the Cold War — are now operating in limited capacity. However, Radio Marti, which targets Cuban audiences and enjoys strong support from Republican Cuban-American lawmakers, has been spared.
Critics argue that the selective nature of the cuts reveals political bias, privileging outlets aligned with Trump’s hardline foreign policy while dismantling others central to U.S. democratic messaging.
As legal battles unfold and employees seek redress, media freedom advocates warn that the gutting of U.S. global media weakens the nation’s ability to combat disinformation and promote free expression abroad — a vulnerability that U.S. adversaries are likely to exploit.
