Why Trump ordered mass layoffs at Voice of America — US Official

President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday carried out mass layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-funded media outlets, despite ongoing lawsuits and growing bipartisan criticism.

The move is the most drastic change to VOA since its founding in 1942.

Kari Lake, a prominent Trump supporter recently appointed to a senior role at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, described the layoffs as a “long-overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.”

In her statement, Lake said she would partner with the State Department and Congress to “make sure the telling of America’s story is modernised, effective and aligned with America’s foreign policy.”

Trump had earlier issued an order in March that froze VOA operations — the first time the agency had been halted in its 83-year history.

On Friday, 639 employees received termination notices.

This came after earlier offers for voluntary departure and previous cuts to contractors.

Lake said a total of 1,400 positions were eliminated, leaving just 250 remaining staff.

Among those affected were journalists from VOA’s Persian service, who had only recently resumed work following Israel’s attack on Iran a week ago.

Some employees have filed a lawsuit, arguing that the cuts defy congressional approval and existing funding.

The plaintiffs — Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat, and Kate Neeper — said the firings would damage U.S. global influence.

“The mass firing decision spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds the US ideals of democracy and freedom around the world,” they wrote.

They added, “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.”

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also condemned the move.

“The decimation of US broadcasting leaves authoritarian propaganda unchecked by US backed independent media and is a perversion of the law and congressional intent,” she said.

“It is a dark day for the truth,” she posted on X.

Trump has frequently attacked media outlets and criticized VOA’s editorial firewall, which protects coverage from political interference.

He believed VOA coverage was too critical of his administration.

One outlet spared from the layoffs was Radio Marti, which broadcasts into Cuba.

It is strongly supported by anti-communist Cuban-American lawmakers within the Republican Party.

Other outlets like Radio Free Asia — set up to serve countries without a free press — now operate on a reduced scale.

Radio Free Europe, which historically served Soviet bloc countries, remains active thanks to support from the Czech government.

With these changes, the future of U.S.-funded media — long seen as a soft-power tool for democracy — is now in question.

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