Trump order guts Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia

The Trump administration is making huge cuts to Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and other pro-democracy programming, and all Voice of America employees have been put on leave. 

On Friday night, shortly after Congress passed its latest funding bill, Trump directed his administration to reduce the functions of several agencies to the minimum required by law. That included the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which houses Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia and Radio Marti, which beams Spanish-language news into Cuba.

Trump's order requiring reductions also includes several other, lesser-known government agencies such as the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a nonpartisan think tank, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

The Voice Of America (VOA) logo appears on a mobile phone with the US Agency For Global Media (USAGM) visible in the background (Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Why is Trump cutting Voice of America? 

What they're saying:

On Saturday morning, Kari Lake, the failed Arizona gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidate whom Trump named a senior adviser to the agency, posted on X that employees should check their email. That coincided with notices going out placing Voice of America staff on paid administrative leave.

The Agency for Global Media also sent notices terminating grants to Radio Free Asia and other programming run by the agency. 

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The letter places employees on administrative leave and says staff would continue to receive pay and benefits "until otherwise notified." It ordered employees not to use Agency for Global Media facilities and return equipment like phones and computers.

A video posted on X by Lake on Saturday talked about cost-cutting measures, not mentioning the employees and the mission of Voice of America. Her video was made at a building leased by VOA that Lake described as a waste of money. She said she would try to break the agency's 15-year lease on the building.

The other side:

"For the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced," Michael Abramowitz, the organization's director, said in a statement. He added that "virtually" the entire 1300-person staff was placed on leave.

One reporter, who spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, said: "We expected something like this to happen, and it just happened to be today."

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The press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said it "condemns this decision as a departure from the U.S.’s historic role as a defender of free information and calls on the U.S. government to restore VOA and urges Congress and the international community to take action against this unprecedented move."

"The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grant agreement would be a massive gift to America’s enemies," said the network's President and CEO, Stephen Capus, in a statement.

What is U.S. Agency for Global Media/Voice of America?

The backstory:

"VOA promotes freedom and democracy around the world by telling America's story and by providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny," Abramowitz said.

Voice of America transmits United States domestic news into other countries, often translated into local languages. Radio Free Asia, Europe and Marti beam news into countries with authoritarian regimes in those regions like China, North Korea and Russia.

Combined, the networks reach an estimated 427 million people. They date back to the Cold War and are part of a network of government-funded organizations trying to extend U.S. influence and combat authoritarianism that includes USAID, another agency targeted by Trump.

Dig deeper:

The reduction is a dramatic blow at a staple of post-Cold War order that has long had bipartisan support. Voice of America's directors have included Dick Carlson, the father of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.

Thomas Kent, former president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said that Trump’s intentions for the agencies are still foggy. Without these news sources, it will be that much harder for the country to get its messages to the world, he said.

"Without the international broadcasting, the image of the United States and the Trump administration will be in the hands of others, including the administration’s opponents, (and) countries and people who consider the United States an enemy," said Kent, an international consultant on media ethics.