In a controversial move, US President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated mass layoffs at Voice of America (VOA), targeting nearly all contractual employees after a new executive order effectively dismantled its parent organization.
On Sunday, VOA contractors received abrupt termination notices via email, instructing them to halt all duties immediately and barring access to agency facilities. The firings will take effect on March 31.
The order, signed Friday, dissolves the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM)—umbrella to VOA, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and six other federal outlets. The White House defended the action, claiming it shields taxpayers from “radical propaganda,” echoing criticisms from conservative figures, including Elon Musk, who derided VOA as dominated by “radical left crazy people.”
Critics swiftly denounced the move. Advocacy groups like Reporters Without Borders called it “dystopian,” warning of its chilling effect on press freedom. Trump’s administration has repeatedly accused VOA of liberal bias, including during his first term when the outlet was branded as siding with “America’s adversaries.”
Veteran journalists pushed back. Former VOA bureau chief Brian Padden condemned the accusations, recounting dangerous frontline experiences and insisting VOA delivers balanced reporting—not propaganda. “Both Musk and the Russian militants are wrong,” Padden asserted.
VOA, founded during WWII to counter Nazi disinformation, broadcast in over 40 languages to an audience exceeding 350 million. Since the executive order, VOA broadcasts have gone silent or been replaced with music across regions like Asia and the Middle East.
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