Voice of America (VOA), once a global symbol of U.S. public diplomacy, is nearing its end as the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) announced 639 new layoffs on Friday. This latest wave finalizes an 85% workforce reduction since March, aligning with former President Donald Trump’s agenda to scale the agency to its statutory minimum.
Kari Lake, senior advisor to USAGM, stated that the cuts are part of a broader effort to eliminate what she described as a “bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.” According to Lake, USAGM has now trimmed 1,400 positions, bringing staffing levels close to the legal minimum of 81 employees. In total, 250 personnel remain across USAGM, VOA, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB). Notably, OCB’s 33 staff members were not affected.
Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA operated in nearly 50 languages and reached 360 million weekly listeners in authoritarian regions. However, nearly 600 VOA contractors were dismissed in May, signaling the start of its decline. Radio Free Asia, another USAGM outlet, has also implemented furloughs in multiple departments including HR and journalist safety.
The cuts follow longstanding Republican criticism that taxpayer-funded media like VOA harbor political bias and represent government overreach. Legal challenges against the terminations are ongoing, with several lawsuits currently in progress.
The dismantling of VOA raises concerns about the future of independent U.S. broadcasting abroad, especially in regions with limited press freedom. While the Trump administration frames the downsizing as fiscal responsibility and accountability, critics argue it dismantles a vital soft power institution that served U.S. interests for over eight decades.