Employees of Voice of America (VOA) who were placed on furlough or fired must return to work, and the Trump administration must restore funding to VOA and other government-funded media, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
The decision effectively halts the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle VOA and its parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which is government-funded.
In addition to VOA, USAGM oversees several other domestic broadcasters, many of which are also battling the administration in court in an effort to survive.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth pointed out in his ruling in D.C. that VOA “has not been reporting news for the first time in its 80-year existence” as a result of the actions of the Trump administration.
The Reagan-appointed judge noted that the agency’s website has not been updated since March 15 and that “overseas radio stations that rely on VOA programming have either been shut down or are only broadcasting music.”
Lamberth stated that the administration acted “without regard to the harm caused to employees, contractors, journalists, and media consumers around the world,” adding, “It is hard to imagine a more blatant example of arbitrary and capricious actions than those taken by the Defendants here.”
“We and my colleagues are grateful for this decision. But we know this is just a small step forward, as the government is likely to appeal,” said VOA journalist Patsy Widakuswara, who was named as the plaintiff.
“We are committed to continuing the fight against what we believe to be the unlawful silencing of Voice of America until we can return to our Congressional mandate to tell America’s story through factual, balanced, and inclusive reporting.”
