Massive Layoff at Voice of America: 639 More Terminated as Parent Agency Slashes 85% of Staff

In a bold move indicating the possible end of an iconic U.S. broadcasting entity, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent organisation of Voice of America (VOA), announced on Friday the termination of 639 additional employees. The layoffs represent an 85% staff reduction since March, leaving the organisation a pale shadow of its former self.

VOA began as a response to Nazi propaganda in 1942 and has historically broadcast in almost 50 languages to reach an estimated 360 million people around the world weekly, many of whom lived and still live under authoritarian regimes. However, within the order of the former president Donald Trump’s objective to shrink the federal government and budget, it has aggressively cut staffing levels at VOA.

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Kari Lake, USAGM’s Senior Advisor, stated that the cuts are part of a “long-overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy”. In total, 1,400 positions have been eliminated, and the agency is now operating at nearly its required statutory minimum of 81 employees.

Remaining Staff Nears Legal Minimum

Lake verified that only a total of 250 employees remain across USAGM, VOA and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) and that OCB’s employees of 33 were not impacted. In May, almost 600 VOA contractors were already dismissed, which demonstrated the alarm bell of the future of U.S. government-funded international broadcasting.

Political Backlash and Legal Challenges

The cuts have created concern and outrage. Several Republican legislators accused the VOA of taking a partisan stance and wanted to shut it down. While the USAGM layoffs are legally being challenged, critics of the layoffs state that the budget cuts threaten journalistic independence and US soft power.

Radio Free Asia, another USAGM platform, further confirmed furloughs across important support functions, citing an ongoing restructuring.

With these huge layoffs, what was once an integral aspect of U.S. global media strategy now appears to be facing a likely death knell.