Trump administration places journalists from Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and affiliated networks on leave, instructs them to vacate their offices, surrender their press credentials, and return government-issued equipment.
In a dramatic shift in US media policy, the Trump administration on Saturday placed journalists from Voice of America (VOA) and other government-funded broadcasters on immediate leave, AFP reported.
Hundreds of employees from VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and affiliated networks received emails instructing them to vacate their offices, surrender their press credentials, and return government-issued equipment, the report said.
The move follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, listing the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) among federal entities deemed “unnecessary.” The agency oversees these broadcasters, which have historically promoted American values abroad.
Kari Lake, who was appointed to lead the agency after her failed Senate bid, defended the decision in an email to staff, stating that taxpayer funds “no longer effectuate agency priorities.”
The White House said the cuts are a cost-saving measure. “Taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda,” a statement read, signaling a major departure from the long-standing US strategy of funding overseas media to promote free speech and democracy.
VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, one of the 1,300 staffers placed on leave, warned that the decision would cripple the broadcaster’s mission.
“VOA needs thoughtful reform, and we have made progress in that regard. But today’s action will leave Voice of America unable to carry out its vital mission,” Abramowitz wrote on Facebook. The network’s programming, which reaches 360 million people in 48 languages, has been widely regarded as a critical tool in US foreign policy.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which began broadcasting into the Soviet bloc during the Cold War, also condemned the funding cut.
“The Iranian ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years,” said its president, Stephen Capus.
Democratic lawmakers also criticized the move, with House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks and senior Congresswoman Lois Frankel calling it a “dangerous step” that would “cause lasting damage to US efforts to counter propaganda around the world.”
