Reporters Without Borders condemned the move, stating that it “endangers global press freedom.”
On Friday evening, Trump directed his administration to trim back several agencies to the minimum required by law under an order titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.”
The executive order impacted the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and Radio Marti, which broadcasts Spanish-language news in Cuba.
The press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders criticized the decision, asserting that it “endangers press freedom worldwide and disavows 80 years of American commitment to the free exchange of information.”
The move to significantly cut funding for the government-run, pro-democracy news agency comes amid Republican accusations that publicly funded media outlets are prejudiced against conservatives.
In a statement, the White House claimed that Trump’s executive orders “will prevent taxpayers from funding radical propaganda,” while also citing accusations of a left-wing tilt at VOA.
On Saturday morning, Kari Lake, a US Senate candidate and Trump-named senior adviser to the agency, tweeted that employees should check their emails for further information.
BREAKING—The President has issued an Executive Order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. It affects USAGM and its outlets VOA and OCB. If you are an employee of the agency please check your email immediately for more information.
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 15, 2025
Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz posted on LinkedIn that almost his entire staff of 1,300 journalists, producers, and assistants, including himself, had been placed on administrative leave.
“I am profoundly disheartened that, for the first time in 83 years, the venerable Voice of America is being silenced,” Abramowitz stated.
“VOA fosters freedom and democracy worldwide by presenting America’s story and delivering impartial and balanced news, particularly for those living under oppressive regimes,” Abramowitz added.
VOA, established in 1942 to counter Axis propaganda, reaches an audience of 360 million weekly and broadcasts in almost 50 languages.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, also affected by the order, had its notice of termination sent, with its president and CEO, Stephen Capus, stating that the decision would be “a monumental boon to America’s adversaries.”
“Throughout RFE/RL’s storied history, we’ve enjoyed robust bipartisan support. Without us, the approximately 50 million individuals in closed societies who rely on us for accurate news and information each week will be denied access to truthful information about America and the world,” Capus declared on Saturday.
The directive to drastically cut government agencies also targeted the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the US Interagency Council on Homelessness.
