Trump despises this media outlet and is now demanding its dismantlement.
Journalists are being put on administrative leave, and funding is being cut at several other organizations.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump is dismantling U.S.-backed international media, particularly Voice of America (VOA), which provides news to millions around the globe and has long been a target of his grievances.
This action follows Trump’s signing of an executive order late Friday aimed at significantly reducing a number of small government agencies and offices. The order instructs the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA and various other media outlets worldwide, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
The weekend developments regarding USAGM indicate that the administration may completely close down — or at least significantly cut — the media platforms under its jurisdiction.
Since his first term, Trump has consistently criticized VOA. Before taking office earlier this year, he expressed a desire to have Kari Lake, a MAGA supporter and former news anchor who has unsuccessfully run for statewide office in Arizona twice, lead the outlet. She has since been appointed as a special adviser to USAGM.
"The decision to dismantle one of America's greatest national assets will inflict profound harm on the U.S. image, its global interests, and the promotion of democratic values — damage that no adversary could ever achieve," stated Elez Biberaj, who briefly served as Voice of America's acting director and retired in 2023, in a social media post.
An email from USAGM’s human resources was sent Saturday, placing VOA journalists on administrative leave and instructing them not to access USAGM premises or any agency systems, according to a copy of the email viewed by PMG.
The specifics are not immediately clear, but at least two VOA journalists — who remained anonymous due to fear of retribution — confirmed they were put on leave on Saturday morning. One suggested this affected all full-time employees. A contractor with VOA, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, received a similar notice.
Lake posted on X about the executive order and urged employees from VOA and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, another entity within USAGM, to urgently check their email.
According to a VOA journalist, some employees received the email while on their way to their studios to record programs that morning. With no clear instructions from VOA leadership, journalists were left to scramble for content, weighing options like rerunning old shows or playing music.
The journalist likened the chaotic situation to the turmoil that followed efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to rapidly downsize federal agencies, leading to mass firings.
Spokespeople for both VOA and USAGM did not respond to requests for comment.
USAGM also communicated to Radio Free Asia on Saturday that grants supporting the media platform’s operations are being terminated immediately. Radio Free Asia has played a crucial role in countering Chinese propaganda.
RFA is expected to begin furloughing some staff next week, PMG reported on Friday.
A notification letter to RFA, obtained by PMG and signed by Lake, indicated that the funding cuts were in response to Trump’s executive order “mandating that the USAGM eliminate all non-statutorily required activities and functions.”
An RFA spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment on its details.
High-profile journalists and news organizations have condemned the actions, questioning the implications of shutting down VOA for press freedom under a second Trump administration.
“VOA journalists in our [White House] press corps are smart, dedicated and shine lights on vital issues,” wrote Kelly O’Donnell, an NBC News correspondent and former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, on X. “I am proud of their dedication. If you believe in a free press, stand with VOA.”
The National Press Club issued a statement Saturday urging Congress to demand transparency and accountability, ensuring that VOA continues its operations.
“For decades, Voice of America has delivered fact-based, independent journalism to audiences worldwide, often in places where press freedom does not exist,” Press Club president Mike Balsamo wrote. “Removing large numbers of its journalists at the same time as dismantling USAGM threatens the very foundation that has allowed VOA to operate without political interference.”
Voice of America, established in 1942 and broadcasting globally, was governed by a charter signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1976, which states that the “long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world,” mandating “accurate, objective and comprehensive” journalism. Laws passed in the 1990s and 2010s have shielded VOA from interference by U.S. government officials.
The Trump administration has openly celebrated the shutdown.
Several of the president's high-profile advisers, including Katie Miller — a DOGE spokesperson and Stephen Miller’s spouse — have said “goodbye” to the news organization, while the administration’s rapid response account has shared headlines criticizing VOA's questioning of “white privilege.”
“U.S. taxpayers shouldn’t be funding this,” the Rapid Response account stated.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
This action follows Trump’s signing of an executive order late Friday aimed at significantly reducing a number of small government agencies and offices. The order instructs the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA and various other media outlets worldwide, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
The weekend developments regarding USAGM indicate that the administration may completely close down — or at least significantly cut — the media platforms under its jurisdiction.
Since his first term, Trump has consistently criticized VOA. Before taking office earlier this year, he expressed a desire to have Kari Lake, a MAGA supporter and former news anchor who has unsuccessfully run for statewide office in Arizona twice, lead the outlet. She has since been appointed as a special adviser to USAGM.
"The decision to dismantle one of America's greatest national assets will inflict profound harm on the U.S. image, its global interests, and the promotion of democratic values — damage that no adversary could ever achieve," stated Elez Biberaj, who briefly served as Voice of America's acting director and retired in 2023, in a social media post.
An email from USAGM’s human resources was sent Saturday, placing VOA journalists on administrative leave and instructing them not to access USAGM premises or any agency systems, according to a copy of the email viewed by PMG.
The specifics are not immediately clear, but at least two VOA journalists — who remained anonymous due to fear of retribution — confirmed they were put on leave on Saturday morning. One suggested this affected all full-time employees. A contractor with VOA, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, received a similar notice.
Lake posted on X about the executive order and urged employees from VOA and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, another entity within USAGM, to urgently check their email.
According to a VOA journalist, some employees received the email while on their way to their studios to record programs that morning. With no clear instructions from VOA leadership, journalists were left to scramble for content, weighing options like rerunning old shows or playing music.
The journalist likened the chaotic situation to the turmoil that followed efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to rapidly downsize federal agencies, leading to mass firings.
Spokespeople for both VOA and USAGM did not respond to requests for comment.
USAGM also communicated to Radio Free Asia on Saturday that grants supporting the media platform’s operations are being terminated immediately. Radio Free Asia has played a crucial role in countering Chinese propaganda.
RFA is expected to begin furloughing some staff next week, PMG reported on Friday.
A notification letter to RFA, obtained by PMG and signed by Lake, indicated that the funding cuts were in response to Trump’s executive order “mandating that the USAGM eliminate all non-statutorily required activities and functions.”
An RFA spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment on its details.
High-profile journalists and news organizations have condemned the actions, questioning the implications of shutting down VOA for press freedom under a second Trump administration.
“VOA journalists in our [White House] press corps are smart, dedicated and shine lights on vital issues,” wrote Kelly O’Donnell, an NBC News correspondent and former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, on X. “I am proud of their dedication. If you believe in a free press, stand with VOA.”
The National Press Club issued a statement Saturday urging Congress to demand transparency and accountability, ensuring that VOA continues its operations.
“For decades, Voice of America has delivered fact-based, independent journalism to audiences worldwide, often in places where press freedom does not exist,” Press Club president Mike Balsamo wrote. “Removing large numbers of its journalists at the same time as dismantling USAGM threatens the very foundation that has allowed VOA to operate without political interference.”
Voice of America, established in 1942 and broadcasting globally, was governed by a charter signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1976, which states that the “long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world,” mandating “accurate, objective and comprehensive” journalism. Laws passed in the 1990s and 2010s have shielded VOA from interference by U.S. government officials.
The Trump administration has openly celebrated the shutdown.
Several of the president's high-profile advisers, including Katie Miller — a DOGE spokesperson and Stephen Miller’s spouse — have said “goodbye” to the news organization, while the administration’s rapid response account has shared headlines criticizing VOA's questioning of “white privilege.”
“U.S. taxpayers shouldn’t be funding this,” the Rapid Response account stated.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
