Trump Initiates Mass Layoffs at Voice of America

The Trump administration has begun mass layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other US-funded media outlets, signaling plans to significantly downsize platforms long considered key to US global influence.

On Sunday, contractors at VOA received emails notifying them of their termination by the end of March, instructing them to immediately cease work and refrain from accessing agency buildings or systems. These contractors, many of whom are non-US citizens, face job losses that could affect their visa status.

Meanwhile, full-time VOA employees—who have greater legal protections—were placed on administrative leave and instructed not to work.

VOA, established during World War II, broadcasts in 49 languages to audiences in countries with restricted media freedoms. However, Trump’s executive order signed on Friday targeted its parent organization, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), as part of broader federal spending cuts.

The layoffs have left VOA in limbo, forcing some services to resort to playing music due to a lack of new programming. The cuts also affected other US-backed broadcasters, including:
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, established during the Cold War.
Radio Free Asia, which provides news to China, North Korea, and other restricted regions.
Radio Farda, a Persian-language station blocked in Iran.
Alhurra, an Arabic-language network launched after the Iraq invasion.

The White House defended the move, stating that “taxpayers are no longer funding radical propaganda”—a claim rarely associated with VOA before Trump. The former president has often criticized the media and questioned VOA’s editorial independence, despite its traditional role in countering authoritarian narratives.

The layoffs come at a time when China and Russia are heavily investing in their state-run media to compete with Western outlets. China’s Global Times, commenting on VOA’s decline, claimed that Western media’s monopoly on information is crumbling and suggested that VOA’s “demonizing narratives” against China would soon become irrelevant.