The Trump administration announced layoffs for 532 Voice of America journalists – most of the remaining staff – intensifying a legal standoff with a federal judge who has blocked efforts to dismantle the government-funded international broadcaster.
Kari Lake, acting chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said on X Friday that notices went out to the employees, leaving behind roughly 100 journalists and support staff.
“This action will allow us to focus resources where they are most needed — bringing truth to people living under communist regimes and dictatorships,” the close Trump ally wrote.
Trump officials began moving in March to shutter VOA and other taxpayer-funded newsrooms. At its peak, Voice of America broadcast in 49 languages to an audience of more than 360 million people weekly; the network currently produces content in only four languages: Persian, Mandarin, Dari and Pashto.
Union leaders immediately denounced the layoffs as unlawful.
“The manner in which they are being executed reveals the contempt this administration has for federal employees and the rule of law,” Paula Hickey, president of the union that represents VOA staff, told the New York Times.
The cuts come as Lake faces mounting legal pressure. In April, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered the administration to restore VOA, citing statutory requirements that mandate its continued operation. Lamberth on Monay ordered Lake to sit for a sworn deposition and warned he could hold her in contempt, saying it appeared the government was ignoring his order.
Another federal judge on Thursday barred Trump and Lake from removing VOA director Michael Abramowitz.
Government lawyers argue that the administration has broad discretion under the International Broadcasting Act to determine the level of service VOA provides. The law requires the network to reach a significant audience and to present “a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.”
The agency previously attempted mass layoffs in June, sending emails to about 600 employees. The effort was rescinded within a week after workers discovered errors in the notices, including incorrect birth dates and years of service.
Some VOA staff had been temporarily reinstated earlier this summer when tensions escalated between Iran and Israel, but those employees were included in the new round of cuts.
“This is not just about jobs,” Hickey said. “It’s about the United States keeping its word to the world.”
