More than 500 employees at the agency overseeing Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S. government-funded international broadcasters are set to lose their positions, according to a Trump administration official.
Kari Lake, Acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), announced the latest round of job cuts on social media platform X, describing it as a Reduction in Force (RIF) affecting a significant number of full-time federal employees.
“I look forward to taking further steps in the coming months to improve the functioning of a severely deteriorated agency and to ensure that Voice of America is heard abroad where it matters most,” Lake wrote.
The move comes despite a federal judge blocking Lake from firing VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, ruling that such a dismissal would be “simply unlawful.” Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth noted that the administration had not yet demonstrated compliance with court orders to resume VOA operations.
The judge gave the administration a final opportunity before a contempt-of-court process, requiring Lake to appear under oath before employees’ attorneys by September 15, 2025.
VOA employees who filed a lawsuit to block the layoffs condemned Lake’s actions:
“We find Lake’s continuing attacks on our agency abhorrent. We look forward to her testimony to determine whether her plan to dismantle VOA has been carried out following the rigorous review process required by Congress.”
In January 2025, upon returning to office, Trump ordered federal funding restrictions and cut VOA’s budget to the minimum allowed by Congress. The current round of 532 job cuts is intended to implement Trump’s directive to reduce federal bureaucracy, improve agency services, and save taxpayer dollars.
USAGM oversees six organizations, including VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and Radio Martí. These networks, dating back to the Cold War, aim to expand U.S. influence and counter authoritarianism worldwide.
