US EditionKari Lake sends firing plan to Congress that will leave VOA with only 18 employees
- The Trump administration notified Congress on June 3, 2025, of a plan to reduce Voice of America's workforce from roughly 1,000 to 18 employees.
- This reduction in staff follows several months of layoffs and is a result of an executive order signed in March 2025 aimed at drastically cutting the federal agency that oversees VOA.
- Kari Lake, a senior adviser to USAGM and close ally of Trump, sent a letter detailing a plan to reduce VOA staff to the lowest level she described as legally permissible, while discontinuing other VOA news services.
- Lake's plan proposes assigning just 11 staff members to manage VOA’s radio and television programming, along with a pair of employees dedicated to each of the broadcasts focused on Iran, China, and Afghanistan, totaling under 2% of the agency’s previous workforce.
- VOA staff and critics, including reporter Patsy Widakuswara who is leading legal action against the reductions, warn that the severe downsizing will undermine the agency’s capacity to reach its global audience of 360 million and compromise its role as a dependable international news provider.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Trump Administration Moves To Decimate Voice Of America Workforce
The Trump administration has initiated a drastic move to dismantle the Voice of America (VOA), the U.S. government’s international broadcaster, proposing to slash its workforce from approximately 1,000 employees to a mere 18. This dramatic downsizing, outlined in a letter to Congress obtained by The New York Times, follows months of escalating tensions and layoffs […] Trump Administration Moves To Decimate Voice Of America Workforce
Conservative Review
The Daily CallerTrump Will Slash VOA Staff To Just 18 People, Leaked Letter Reveals
'It's comical if it weren't so tragic'
Trump Will Slash Voice of America Staff to Just 18 People, Leaked Letter Reveals | The Star News Network
by Thomas English The Trump administration moved to eliminate nearly all remaining employees at Voice of America on Wednesday, telling Congress it intends to cut the international broadcaster’s workforce from about 1,000 to just 18. The dramatic downsizing, outlined in a letter obtained by The New York Times, follows months of layoffs ordered after President Donald Trump labelled the outlet “the voice of radical America.” In the letter, VOA ad…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 88% of the sources lean Right
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage
