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President Trump signed an executive order slashing the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) substantially, effectively downgrading Voice of America (VOA) and other government-funded international broadcasters.
The directive, signed Friday, requires USAGM executives to reduce operations to the “minimum presence and function authorized by law.” The White House framed the move as a budget-cutting measure to stop what it called “radical propaganda” funded by taxpayers. Trump has long lambasted VOA as “anti-Trump” and “biased.”
The move immediately placed most of VOA’s 1,300 staff on paid leave, director Mike Abramowitz mentioned. Freelancers and foreign contractors were also cut off after being informed that funds had been depleted. Federal grants to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia were also terminated, CBS News mentioned.
Abramowitz warned that the directive renders VOA unable to accomplish its mission at a time when international rivals like China, Russia, and Iran are intensifying their information warfare. “This action disables our ability to counter foreign disinformation,” he said.
Established in 1942 to counter Axis propaganda during World War II, VOA broadcasts news and information to over 400 million people weekly on radio, television, and the internet. It was legally secured as independent under a charter signed by President Gerald Ford in 1976.
The critics contend the order is a direct attack on freedom of the press. The National Press Club condemned the action, contending: “If a whole newsroom can be put out of commission overnight, what does that say about the state of press freedom in the U.S.?”
The move is part of a broader push by Trump and advisor Elon Musk to reduce federal programs and institutions they view as wasteful or adversarial. Other cuts announced include funding reductions for homelessness initiatives, libraries, and museums. Trump also appointed loyalist Kari Lake as a special adviser to USAGM, cementing tighter control over the agency.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called on the European Union to step in to preserve Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s presence in Prague.
With federal funding cut off, the future of independent U.S.-funded international broadcasting is in doubt.
