Trump Administration Cuts Over 1,400 Voice of America Jobs, Slashes Staff by 85%

The Trump administration has undertaken sweeping cuts at Voice of America (VOA) and its parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), terminating around 1,400 positions since March and reducing VOA's staff to approximately 250 employees. VOA, historically a critical tool for projecting democratic values and countering disinformation abroad, has been labeled by Trump and his senior advisor Kari Lake as biased and wasteful, leading to a major dismantling of the organization. Critics warn that these layoffs create a void in global media that could be filled by Russian and Chinese propaganda, undermining America's ability to promote independent journalism worldwide. Despite legal challenges and bipartisan support for the agency, the administration has proceeded with layoffs, placing many journalists on paid leave before termination. The cuts have sparked concern over silencing America's voice in international broadcasting, especially as VOA has served populations under authoritarian regimes with independent news. Kari Lake, appointed by Trump, has defended the reductions as necessary to cut bureaucracy and waste, signaling a shift to a much smaller, more focused agency.