US: Radio Free Asia places workers on unpaid leave after Trump’s grants termination

The US government-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) informed hundreds of US-based staff on Wednesday that they will be placed on unpaid leave at the end of this week following the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the outlet’s funding.

RFA spokesperson Rohit Mahajan told Reuters that the administration’s move was “unlawful” and stated that the outlet was pursuing legal action. RFA, which relies entirely on government grants, is now struggling to sustain operations.

The Trump administration announced on Saturday that it was cutting federal grants that support RFA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, leading to more than 1,300 Voice of America employees being placed on leave, a move that could significantly impact these government-funded media organizations.

RFA has been broadcasting across Asia since 1996, and rights activists consider its multilingual reporters a rare source of reliable news in authoritarian countries, particularly for raising awareness about the persecution of minority groups such as China’s Uyghur Muslims.

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Mahajan said the furlough, starting Friday, would primarily affect full-time US-based staff, reducing RFA’s workforce from more than 300 to about 75 employees.

“We have very little funding left to pay our staff. We are trying to keep RFA afloat as we pursue a legal challenge to the termination of our grant, which we believe is unlawful,” he said.

Mahajan added that RFA would prioritize exempting from the furlough employees with visas dependent on their jobs, particularly those at risk of persecution in their home countries. Furloughed employees would retain health care coverage at least through April, he noted.

RFA management delivered the news to staff in a town hall meeting on Wednesday. According to two journalists who attended, officials explained that RFA planned to mount a legal challenge similar to the lawsuit filed by its sister outlet, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on Tuesday.

A furlough notice sent to RFA employees, reviewed by Reuters, suggested that staff were expected to return to work at the end of the furlough period. However, the notice cautioned, “because the situation is fluid, we cannot predict how long the furlough may last.”

US lawmakers and rights advocates have expressed concern that the funding cuts severely undermine Washington’s soft power, particularly at a time when China is expanding its global influence.

The cuts are part of a broader effort by Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to shrink the federal government, arguing that taxpayer money should not be spent on initiatives that do not align with US interests.

(REUTERS)

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