Voice of America staff put on leave, Trump ally says agency 'not salvageable'

Hundreds of staffers at Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other outlets received a weekend email that they will be barred from their offices and should surrender press passes and equipment, local media reported Saturday.

The cuts followed an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, which listed U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) as part of "unnecessary" federal bureaucracy.

USAGM, VOA's parent agency, employs about 3,500 staff and has an $886 million budget for 2024, according to its latest report to Congress.

The agency has severed all contracts for the privately incorporated international broadcasters it funds, including Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, local media reported.

More than 1,300 Voice of America employees were reportedly placed on administrative leave on Saturday.

Kari Lake, the former news anchor and Trump loyalist nominated to be director of VOA, issued a statement describing USAGM as "a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer," adding that it was "not salvageable." Lake said she would shrink the agency to a minimum possible size under the law.

Meanwhile, some Republicans have accused VOA and other publicly funded media outlets of being biased against conservatives, and have called for them to be shuttered as part of the efforts by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to shrink the government.

So far, Musk's DOGE has cut more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, frozen foreign aid and cancelled thousands of programs and contracts.

In addition to USAGM, Trump's order also targeted the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency for cuts that would limit them to "the minimum presence and function required by law."

In a statement, the White House said his executive orders "will ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda," before listing various criticisms of VOA, including allegations of left-wing bias.

However, reports indicate that the decision is expected to face challenges, as Congress, not the president, has the constitutional power of the purse.

(With input from agencies)