A senior judge in Washington, Royce Lamberth, has temporarily blocked the planned layoffs of over 500 Voice of America (VoA) journalists, which had been ordered by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the network of “left-wing bias.”
The layoffs were scheduled to take effect today, but the judge ruled that they cannot proceed until a final decision is made in the case. Lamberth noted that the Trump administration failed to comply with the legal obligations of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the federal body overseeing VoA operations.
Earlier this year, in April, the judge had instructed the Trump administration to restore VoA operations to fulfill its statutory mandate of disseminating reliable information. Despite this ruling, USAGM administrator Kari Lake, a Trump ally, ordered the layoffs in August.
Once broadcasting in 49 languages, VoA now operates only in Mandarin, Dari, Pashto, and Farsi, with programs limited to about one hour per day. Established during World War II, VoA, along with Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, has historically transmitted news from the U.S. to countries with authoritarian governments.
Earlier this year, in March, Trump signed an executive order declaring USAGM unnecessary, which in 2023 had employed over 3,000 staff. He further accused VoA of promoting “anti-American messages” and left-wing propaganda.
