In an unprecedented move, the U.S. government has effectively shut down Voice of America (VOA) by placing more than 1,300 employees on administrative leave. The cuts come as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping directive to downsize the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and six other federal agencies, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates and international leaders.
Michael Abramowitz, VOA’s director, confirmed the drastic measure, stating that nearly the entire staff of the storied broadcaster had been sidelined. “For the first time in 83 years, the Voice of America is being silenced,” he wrote on LinkedIn, calling it a major setback in the global fight for freedom and democracy.
The cuts also extend to USAGM’s funding of two major international broadcasters: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), both of which have long operated as critical sources of independent news in regions controlled by authoritarian regimes, including Russia and China. Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA has since grown into a trusted news source reaching 360 million people weekly in nearly 50 languages.
Trump Administration Labels USAGM ‘Not Salvageable’
Kari Lake, a Trump loyalist and former news anchor nominated to head VOA, issued a statement describing USAGM as a “giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer,” pledging to reduce it to its legally mandated minimum. The move aligns with Trump’s broader strategy to cut federal spending and shrink government agencies deemed non-essential.
VOA journalists have already felt the impact. William Gallo, the broadcaster’s Seoul Bureau Chief, reported being locked out of all company systems. “All I’ve ever wanted to do is shoot straight and tell the truth, no matter what government I was covering. If that’s a threat to anyone, so be it,” Gallo wrote on Bluesky.
International Outrage and Press Freedom Concerns
The decision to defund USAGM has drawn condemnation from press freedom organizations and international leaders. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called RFE/RL a “beacon” for those under totalitarian rule, while Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club, warned that the cuts undermine America’s commitment to a free and independent press. Reporters Without Borders labeled the move a threat to global press freedom and a negation of decades of U.S. support for an open flow of information.
Bay Fang, president of RFA, decried the decision as a “reward to dictators and despots,” suggesting that cutting off independent news services plays directly into the hands of oppressive regimes.
Elon Musk’s Role in the Government Overhaul
Some conservatives have long criticized VOA and other government-funded media outlets for alleged left-wing bias. The downsizing aligns with broader efforts led by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to streamline federal agencies. So far, Musk’s department has slashed over 100,000 federal jobs, frozen foreign aid, and terminated thousands of government programs.
Musk appeared to mock the USAGM cuts in a post on X, stating: “While winding down this global government propaganda agency, it has temporarily been renamed the Department of Propaganda Everywhere (DOPE).”
Beyond USAGM, Trump’s executive order also targets the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency. According to the White House, the cuts aim to eliminate taxpayer-funded “radical propaganda” and rein in government bureaucracy.
With the shutdown of Voice of America and its affiliated broadcasters, press freedom advocates warn of a dangerous precedent—one that could reshape the role of independent journalism in U.S. foreign policy for years to come.
