Trump administration fires hundreds at Voice of America
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Nearly 600 Voice of America staff were laid off by the Trump administration, sparking press freedom concerns and signaling deeper cuts to US international broadcasting.
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This is the Voice of America building in Washington, on May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Trump administration on Thursday laid off nearly 600 employees at Voice of America (VOA), the New York Times (NYT) reported on Thursday, adding that the firings targeted mostly journalists and contractors, amounting to more than a third of VOA’s workforce.
VOA has been repeatedly accused by officials in countries where it operates of conducting soft power operations or acting as a regime-change arm of the US.
The report argues that the move signals a continued effort by the administration to dismantle the broadcaster, despite a federal court ruling in April requiring the preservation of its news programming.
It is worth noting that US President Donald Trump has previously called VOA “the voice of radical America.”
According to the NYT, most of the laid-off employees were working under personal services contracts, making them more vulnerable to termination than full-time civil service staff. Many were foreign nationals, including journalists whose immigration status is tied to their employment at VOA. That said, they must now leave the United States by the end of June.
Michael Abramowitz, VOA’s director, called the layoffs “inexplicable” in an internal email, adding, “I am heartbroken.”
Firings spark legal and ethical concerns over press freedom
The dismissals come as part of a broader push to shut down the US Agency for Global Media. Despite a court order in April to restore Voice of America programming, most services remain dormant, with only some, like the Mandarin and Persian divisions, resuming.
Senior advisor at USAGM and a Trump ally, Kari Lake, defended the firings, stating, "We are in the process of rightsizing the agency and reducing the federal bureaucracy to meet administration priorities… Buckle up. There’s more to come."
Lake, who previously described the agency as "unsalvageable," has also announced plans to incorporate content from the pro-Trump One America News Network (OANN) into VOA programming. On the same day as the layoffs, the federal building in Washington that houses VOA was listed for sale, further signaling the administration’s intention to shutter the institution, according to the NYT.
In termination letters, employees were informed that the dismissals were carried out for "the government’s convenience."
