‘Virtually’ all Voice of America staff put on leave after Trump order

After President Donald Trump ratified an executive order guting the government-run news agency, nearly all Voice of America (VOA) employees have been placed on leave.

Under an order titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” Trump ordered his administration to reduce a number of agencies to the minimum amount permitted by law on Friday night.

The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which hosts Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and Radio Marti, which broadcast Spanish-language news in Cuba, were both affected by the decision.

Reporters Without Borders, a group that fights press freedom, criticizes the decision, calling it “affirms 80 years of American history’s support for a free flow of information.”

Republicans have accused publicly funded media outlets of being biased against conservatives as a result of the government’s decision to shut down the pro-democracy news agency.

Before listing criticisms of VOA, including allegations of left-wing bias, the White House stated in a statement that Trump’s executive orders “will ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda.”

Trump named a senior adviser to the agency, US Senate candidate Kari Lake, who wrote on X that employees should check their emails on Saturday morning.

A Presidential Executive Order is being issued to continue the Federal Bureaucracy’s reduction. It has an impact on USAGM’s outlets VOA and OCB.

Please check your email immediately if you work for the agency for more information. https://t.co/JmKMA0rp54

Michael Abramowitz, the director of Voice of America, stated in a LinkedIn post that “virtually” all of his 1,300 journalists, producers, and assistants had been placed on administrative leave, including himself.

The storied Voice of America is being silenced, according to Abramowitz, “I am deeply saddened that for the first time in 83 years.”

By telling the story of America and providing objective and fair news and information, especially for those who are subject to tyranny, VoA promotes freedom and democracy around the world.

VOA, which was established in 1942 to stop Nazi propaganda, has a weekly reach of 360 million people and operates in nearly 50 different languages.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, whose president and CEO, Stephen Capus, stated in a statement that the decision would be a “massive gift to America’s enemies,” received termination notices as well.

“Throughout the storied history of RFE/RL, we’ve benefited from strong bipartisan support.” The nearly 50 million people in closed societies who rely on us for reliable news and information each week won’t have access to the truth about America and the world without us, Capus said on Saturday.