By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
Hundreds of staff members at major U.S.-funded media outlets, including Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe, were informed over the weekend that they would be barred from their offices and required to surrender press passes and equipment.
The move follows an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, which designated the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VOA’s parent agency, as part of “unnecessary” federal bureaucracy.
USAGM, which employs approximately 3,500 people and has a budget of 886 million U.S. dollars for 2024, oversees several international broadcasters that are now facing significant cuts.
These include the shutdown of contracts with Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, as reported by local media outlets.
VOA Director Michael Abramowitz confirmed on social media that nearly the entire staff of 1,300 journalists, producers, and assistants had been placed on administrative leave.
The White House has stated that the move is aimed at ensuring taxpayers are no longer funding what they described as “radical propaganda.”
The decision is expected to face challenges in Congress, as the U.S. Constitution grants lawmakers, not the president, control over federal spending.