USAGM cuts 85% of workforce, including majority of Voice of America staff

The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA), has announced a significant workforce reduction, eliminating approximately 85% of its positions, according to a June 20 statement from Kari Lake, senior adviser and acting CEO appointed during former President Donald Trump’s administration.

A total of 1,400 positions are being cut across USAGM, including 639 employees at Voice of America. The decision follows a March executive order issued by Trump, which called for the removal of non-statutory functions across federally funded media outlets. The order led to the suspension of most VOA operations and staff being placed on paid administrative leave beginning mid-March.

“Today, we took decisive action to effectuate President Trump’s agenda to shrink the federal bureaucracy,” Lake wrote in a letter announcing the layoffs.

Since March, VOA websites, including its English and regional language services such as the Georgian desk, have largely stopped publishing new content. Some departments, like the Persian Service, were briefly reactivated in April amid rising tensions in the Middle East, but most of those employees also received termination notices this week.

The move comes after several legal challenges by VOA staff and executives. In April, a federal court granted an injunction allowing some employees to return to work, but a higher court later limited that ruling, keeping most of the staff inactive.

Critics of the layoffs, including some current and former VOA journalists, have raised concerns about the future of the agency’s journalistic mission. Patsy Widakuswara, VOA’s White House Bureau Chief, said in a statement that the changes significantly impact the organization’s ability to fulfill its role in promoting press freedom and democratic values abroad.

The cuts are expected to take full effect by September 1, marking a major shift in the structure and scope of US government-supported international broadcasting.