Latest news with #USAgencyForGlobalMedia
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Nearly All Remaining Voice of America Employees Could Be Fired in Proposed Restructuring
The Trump administration notified Congress this week of a plan that would eliminate nearly all of the remaining employees at Voice of America, a federally funded news network that provides independent reporting to countries with limited press freedom. The staff count at Voice of America would shrink from roughly 1,400 journalists and administrative staff to less than 20 as part of the proposed restructuring, according to a letter dated Tuesday and addressed to Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. About a third of those 1,400 workers have already been laid off, however, as the administration has moved rapidly to dismantle a media organization President Trump has attacked as 'the voice of radical America.' The letter, reviewed by The New York Times, was signed by Kari Lake, a key ally of President Trump and a senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America. The proposed reorganization is in line with Mr. Trump's orders to slash the size of the federal work force. But the president and his allies have also been harshly critical of the outlet's coverage. He accused the outlet, which delivers news in countries with authoritarian governments such as Russia, China and Iran, of spreading 'anti-American' and partisan 'propaganda.' The letter states that the latest round of firings would lead to 'the deletion' of other news services provided by Voice of America, which broadcast in 49 languages to nearly 100 countries for more than 350 million listeners and readers until March. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
After contractor cuts, Voice of America staffers brace for further layoffs
Voice of America employees are bracing for further reductions in their workforce, not long after the Trump administration announced plans to terminate more than 500 contractors, according to several staffers who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about it. Cuts, which may be made as soon as this week, are expected to target all or most of the 800 remaining staffers at the government-funded news organization, which started in 1942 to combat Nazi propaganda abroad. These employees work full time and are more difficult to fire than the contractors, whose last day is May 30. Politico first reported the news on Wednesday. Senior VOA officials said that they were certain that further cuts were on the way but that the timing remained uncertain. Most VOA staffers have been on paid administrative leave since President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 14 aimed at dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and which funds nonprofit media networks such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. The layoffs at VOA are part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to reduce the size and scope of the U.S. government. Numerous agencies have rolled out widespread reductions in force, some of which have been challenged in federal court. Last week, a federal judge ordered the Education Department to reinstate nearly 1,400 fired workers. 'A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all,' U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun in Massachusetts wrote in an order granting a preliminary injunction. Further, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in Northern California granted a preliminary injunction on May 22 extending a sweeping freeze on mass layoffs and reorganizations at 22 federal agencies, though USAGM isn't currently included. VOA is already suing the Trump administration over the March executive order, saying that the president does not have authority to unilaterally dismantle the news organization, which was created by Congress. After U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued an injunction on April 22, which would have sent VOA staffers back to work, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which included two Trump appointees, stayed most of the injunction on May 3, keeping staffers on leave. Kari Lake, senior adviser to USAGM, has promised to keep VOA at a 'statutory minimum' level of staffing and has brought back about 30 out of 1,300 staffers to do so. Lake has been detailed to the State Department to oversee the dismantling of USAGM, which oversees VOA. Lake did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, but she previously told The Washington Post that more cuts were coming to USAGM. 'In accordance with President Trump's executive order dated March 14, we are in the process of rightsizing the agency and reducing the federal bureaucracy to meet administration priorities,' she wrote in an email on May 15. 'We will continue to scale back the bloat at USAGM and make an archaic dinosaur into something worthy of being funded by hardworking Americans. Buckle up. There's more to come.' Jessica Jerreat, VOA's press freedom editor and a named plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the news — and how it was conveyed to staff — was disappointing. 'It's frustrating seeing the dismantling of an 83-year-old broadcaster in this way,' she told The Post. 'The uncertainty and way details are communicated make the situation worse. Plus we have our vulnerable colleagues who are already terminated and risk losing visa status by end of June.' J-1 visa holders have 30 days after termination to leave the United States, sparking fears that they may return to home countries hostile to critical journalists. David Kligerman, who retired in January as general counsel and chief legal officer at USAGM, said the expected reduction in force would constitute 'a violation of the Impoundment Control Act and an unconstitutional usurpation of Congress's power of the purse.' He added: 'To the extent that VOA prevails on at least some aspect of that claim, as many believe they will, it is hard to see how such a reduction in force — which would completely remove any and all of the staff who could carry out VOA's mission — is ultimately lawful.'
