USAGM and Voice of America Broadcasting Dismantlement

What Happened

On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the gutting of the United States Agency for Global Media "to the maximum extent allowed by law." The following day — dubbed "Bloody Saturday" by journalists — approximately 1,300 employees across Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting were placed on paid administrative leave. Simultaneously, RFE/RL's federal grant agreement was terminated, threatening to end decades of broadcasting to audiences in authoritarian countries.

The letter placing staff on leave was signed by Kari Lake, who listed her title as "senior advisor to the acting CEO with authorities delegated by Acting CEO." Lake had been nominated by Trump to lead VOA, but her nomination had not been confirmed.

The Scale of the Attack

The USAGM network represents the largest international broadcasting operation in the world. VOA broadcasts in over 40 languages to an estimated global audience of 354 million people weekly. RFE/RL operates in 27 languages across 23 countries, providing independent news to audiences in Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, and across Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Radio Free Asia serves audiences in China, North Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, and other countries where press freedom is severely restricted.

Reporters Sans Frontieres condemned the layoffs and raised alarm that some VOA journalists who are foreign nationals could face deportation if terminated — meaning the administration was not only silencing journalists but potentially sending them back to countries where they could face persecution for their work.

Legal Challenges and Court Rulings

VOA employees and press freedom organizations filed lawsuits within days. A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in late March, and RFE/RL received a separate order preserving its operations.

Despite ongoing litigation, the administration continued its campaign against USAGM. In May, over 500 VOA staff received termination notices. In August, a formal reduction in force eliminated hundreds more positions.

The decisive legal ruling came in December 2025, when D.C. federal judge Royce Lamberth found that Kari Lake had illegally served as Acting CEO of USAGM. The court declared all actions taken by Lake since March 2025 legally void and ordered the agency to reinstate hundreds of employees who had been on leave or fired.

The Damage Persists

Despite the court victory, the damage has been severe and lasting. One year after the initial cuts, Poynter reported in March 2026 that VOA and its sister outlets remain "mostly shadows of their former selves." RFE/RL closed its Hungarian service — which had been relaunched in 2020 specifically to counter press freedom erosion under Viktor Orban. Broadcasting capacity across the network remains severely diminished.

Why This Matters

US international broadcasting serves a unique function: it provides factual, independent news to people living under authoritarian governments that control domestic media. RFE/RL's president Steve Capus called the termination of the grant agreement "a massive gift to America's enemies." In Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, state media filled the void left by reduced USAGM broadcasting.

Why This Is Classified Severe

This incident receives a severe classification because:

• Scale: Approximately 1,300 journalists and staff affected across multiple broadcasting services operating in over 40 languages.
• Illegal action: A federal judge ruled the actions were taken by an illegally appointed official, making the entire operation unlawful from inception.
• Global impact: Audiences in authoritarian countries who depend on these services for independent information were cut off. Broadcasting gaps in languages like Russian, Mandarin, and Farsi directly benefit hostile governments.
• Chilling effect: The attempted dismantlement signals to journalists worldwide that government-funded media independence is not protected, even in the United States.
• Persistence: Despite court-ordered reinstatements, the services remain severely degraded a full year later.