Trump Cuts VOA Workforce by 85 Percent

The Trump administration has issued layoff notices to over 600 employees at Voice of America (VOA) and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), completing an 85% workforce reduction since March and reducing staff to fewer than 200. This action, following a March executive order, is justified by administration officials as a necessary measure against a 'bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy' with claims of dysfunction and bias. Kari Lake, a senior adviser, is overseeing the cuts and has arranged for One America News Network to provide content to the agency. Critics, including staff, Democrats, and First Amendment advocates, argue the move threatens 83 years of VOA’s independent journalism, especially in nations lacking press freedom. Lawsuits challenging the legality of the layoffs are ongoing, and the abrupt dismissals have left many employees and services, such as VOA’s Persian desk, in uncertainty. The restructuring has drawn significant domestic and international backlash and is seen as the likely end of VOA’s role as a major international news source.