Voice of America sues Trump administration over abrupt shutdown

Voice of America (VOA) has filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully dismantling the globally recognized news service. The legal case, lodged in the U.S. District Court in New York, seeks immediate court intervention to restore VOA’s operations, which have historically provided unbiased news to countries with limited press freedom, according to the New York Post.

The suit includes plaintiffs such as VOA journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and various unions. It targets the U.S. Agency for Global Media and Trump-appointed official Kari Lake, alleging an illegal closure of the broadcaster within the past week. VOA, founded during World War II, is funded by Congress and operates under strict journalistic guidelines to ensure credibility and independence.

The lawsuit warns that in many regions, VOA’s shutdown has left a vacuum, now filled only by censored, state-run media. Conservative critics have long claimed VOA harbors a leftist bias, allegations that VOA leadership has denied.

Kari Lake defended the administration’s actions in a Newsmax interview, likening VOA to “a rotten fish” and calling the agency overseeing it “a giant rot” on X. She described the U.S. Agency for Global Media as financially burdensome and a national security threat, though she acknowledged a few dedicated individuals within the organization.

Clayton Weimers of Reporters Without Borders emphasized their support for VOA, framing the move as a broader fight to protect press freedom globally.

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