Senior Adviser Kari Lake Cuts 1400 Jobs at USAGM, VOA, OCB

President Donald Trump has taken significant steps to reduce the size and influence of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and its affiliated entities, including Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, as part of his agenda to shrink the federal bureaucracy. Senior adviser Kari Lake confirmed mass layoffs, with over 1,400 positions eliminated, representing an 85% reduction in personnel since March 2025. These actions follow an executive order signed by Trump aiming to cut what the administration describes as biased, wasteful, and bloated state-funded media projects that allegedly promote leftist propaganda. Lake emphasized the goal of restoring accountability, reducing waste, and ensuring taxpayer dollars support media aligned with American foreign policy and values. The administration also terminated a costly $250 million lease for a luxury office space, furthering efforts to rein in agency expenses. These moves align with broader congressional efforts to defund public broadcasters such as NPR and PBS, which critics see as politically biased.