Mass layoffs at the "Voice of America"

The agency responsible for US foreign broadcasters is facing large-scale layoffs. Kari Lake , the special advisor to the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) appointed by President Donald Trump , wrote on the short message service X that 639 employees had been given notice. Since March, the USAGM workforce has already been reduced by 85 percent. The agency oversees Voice of America (VOA), Middle East Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

As the New York Times reports, the cuts hit VOA the hardest. The broadcaster, which for decades was broadcast worldwide via shortwave – including behind the so-called Iron Curtain in the Eastern Bloc countries – was left with fewer than 200 permanent employees, about one-seventh of its workforce at the beginning of 2025.

Special Advisor: "Bureaucracy out of control"

Lake described the layoffs as a necessary step in Trump's efforts to reduce the "out-of-control bureaucracy." She announced that she would provide details of alleged waste, mismanagement, and corruption to Congress next week. However, the agency would continue to meet minimum legal requirements. The special adviser stated that she wanted to bring the downsized USAGM into line with Trump's foreign policy.

The Foreign Media Act states that VOA broadcasts must promote "respect for human rights, including religious freedom," and provide "a balanced and comprehensive presentation of the thought and institutions of the United States" that reflects the "diversity of the country's culture and society." VOA is thus to "represent America, not a single segment of American society," and present "a balanced and comprehensive picture of American thought and institutions."

Trump: "Anti-American propaganda"

Trump and other Republicans accuse Voice of America, along with other publicly funded US broadcasters, of spreading anti-American propaganda. Critics say the programs are too negative toward conservatives and predominantly promote left-wing ideas.

The broadcaster was founded in 1942, during World War II , as a counterweight to Nazi propaganda. To this day, Voice of America is designed to provide independent information to people in regions without free media. According to the USAGM website, the agency's sub-organizations—the various media outlets combined—reach 427 million people worldwide weekly. Voice of America alone, according to its own figures, has an estimated 326 million users per week; the broadcaster's content is broadcast in more than 40 languages.

Senator Shaheen: "Dark day for the truth"

Media associations protested the measures. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who represents her party on the Foreign Affairs Committee, declared on X: "This is a dark day for the truth." VOA Director Michael Abramowitz told NPR that the proposed cuts would mean the network would no longer be able to fulfill its statutory mandate "to deliver objective news to isolated communities and other places around the world." Abramowitz himself is currently on leave.

Several VOA employees announced they would file a lawsuit against the cuts. "Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and extremist groups are flooding the information space with anti-American propaganda," they wrote in a statement. In this environment, " America's voice cannot be silenced."

yy/se (afp, rtr, epd)