Donald Trump has signed an executive order to significantly reduce the operations of the global, independent, and federally funded news organization Voice of America.

The president’s order primarily targets VOA’s parent company, US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which also funds non-profit entities like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, originally established to counter communism.

The order directs the heads of these agencies to “reduce performance… to the minimum presence and function required by law.”

Mike Abramowitz, the VOA’s director, reported that he and nearly his entire staff of 1,300 people have been placed on paid leave.

Abramowitz stated that the order leaves VOA incapable of fulfilling its “vital mission… especially critical today, given that America’s adversaries, including Iran, China, and Russia, are investing billions into creating false narratives to discredit the United States.”

No clear explanations from the Trump administration have been provided, and it remains uncertain whether the stations are facing complete closure.

CBS, BBC’s news partner in the US, reported that VOA employees were informed of the decision via an email from Crystal Thomas, the USAGM’s chief of human resources.

A source informed CBS that all freelance workers and international contractors were notified that there would be no further payments.

Emails obtained by CBS informed the leaders of Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that their federal grants had been terminated.

VOA and other stations under USAGM serve over 400,000,000 listeners and are comparable to the BBC World Service, which receives partial funding from the British government.

Elon Musk, an un-elected Trump adviser who has been cutting government departments, has used his social media platform X to advocate for the shutdown of VOA.

Additionally, the US president has cut funding to other federal agencies, including those focused on preventing homelessness and funding for museums and libraries.

Trump has been a vocal critic of VOA during his first term. He recently appointed staunch loyalist Kari Lake as a special adviser for the US Agency for Global Media.

The president frequently claims that mainstream media outlets are prejudiced against him. He labeled CNN and MSNBC as “corrupt” and “illegal,” without providing evidence, in a speech at the justice department.

Voice of America was launched in 1942 with a mandate to combat Nazi and Japanese propaganda. Its first broadcast, on a transmitter loaned by the BBC to the US, had a modest ambition.

In 1976, former President Gerald Ford signed the VOA’s public charter to protect its editorial independence.

By 1994, the Broadcast Board of Governors, which oversees non-military broadcasting, was established.

In 2013, a shift in legislation enabled VOA and its affiliates to start broadcasting in the US.