Trump Administration Fires Over 600 Voice of America Journalists, Cuts 85% Workforce

President Donald Trump's administration has effectively shut down the US-funded news outlet Voice of America (VOA) by firing over 85% of its employees, with more than 1,400 staff laid off since March. The administration, which has accused VOA of left-wing bias and described the agency as "riddled with dysfunction, bias and waste," issued 639 termination notices in early June alone, including Persian-language reporters who had been called back to cover the Israel-Iran conflict. Kari Lake, appointed by Trump to lead VOA, stated the layoffs were part of an agenda to reduce what she described as an "out-of-control federal bureaucracy," leaving about 50 employees remaining across VOA and related agencies. VOA journalists and critics have condemned the move as a "historic act of self-sabotage" that ends over 80 years of independent journalism promoting US ideals of democracy and freedom worldwide. Legal challenges have been filed against the executive order dismantling VOA and the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA and other outlets like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. Remaining VOA operations are reportedly shifting toward content produced by One America News (OAN), signaling a significant change in the agency's programming and editorial direction.