Topline
The Trump administration announced Friday it’s laying off hundreds of staffers at the government-owned news outlet Voice of America, the latest in a slew of mass terminations that have been carried out across the federal government since Trump took office.
Kari Lake, who leads Voice of America (VOA), speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference … More
Key Facts
Kari Lake, who heads the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), said in a statement Friday Voice of America sent out termination notices to 639 USAGM and Voice of America employees, part of a broader move to reduce USAGM’s workforce by 85%.
Only 250 employees are still working at USAGM, Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting following Friday’s layoffs, Lake’s statement said, and officials at the agency have approved a plan in which only 81 employees will remain.
Voice of America is a media outlet funded by the U.S. government that broadcasts news and other information worldwide, providing coverage in more than 40 languages and ensuring accurate news in countries where the free press is restricted.
Friday’s layoffs are part of a broader effort by Lake and the Trump administration to dismantle USAGM, with Lake claiming in March the agency was “not salvagable” and pledging to “drastically downsize” the agency “to the minimum presence and function required by law.”
Friday’s layoffs “[spell] the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds U.S. ideals of democracy and freedom around the world,” plaintiffs bringing a lawsuit against Voice of America’s dismantling said in a statement to NPR.
What To Watch For
Litigation is still ongoing over the future of Voice of America, though courts have cleared the way for the Trump administration to fire its workers in the meantime. It’s unclear how long the litigation could play out or which way the court will ultimately rule.
Surprising Fact
The layoff announcement comes just days after Voice of America brought back many Farsi-speaking employees who had previously been on administrative leave, in order to help the outlet’s coverage of Israel-Iran conflict. Voice of America has previously said its coverage in Iran “confronts the disinformation and censorship efforts of the Iranian regime and enhances U.S. efforts to speak directly to the Iranian people and the global Persian-speaking diaspora.” The plaintiffs suing the Trump administration said Friday the layoff announcement includes many of those who were just brought back to cover the conflict in Iran, and they will continue to work for Voice of America until September 1.
Key Background
The layoffs at Voice of America are part of a broader slew of mass terminations across the federal workforce, as the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency—previously led by Elon Musk—has made broad cuts to the federal workforce in the name of decreasing so-called wasteful government spending. Thousands of employees have been laid off from numerous agencies across the government, including the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration and Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, State and Defense. USAGM is also one of several agencies in which the Trump administration has sought to go beyond just cutting staff to more thoroughly dismantling the agency and its operations, along with other groups like the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Education. Those moves have been largely challenged in court, with varying degrees of success, though litigation continues.
Further Reading
