President Trump and Kari Lake have fired nearly 600 Voice of America employees, boldly tackling what many conservatives view as a wasteful agency that has become the “Voice of Radical America.”
The decisive action comes as the administration works to reduce federal bureaucracy and reshape the broadcaster’s editorial direction away from its perceived leftist bias.
Lake, appointed by Trump to oversee the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), confirmed 584 terminations this week, representing about a third of the broadcaster’s staff.
The firings followed an executive order on March 14 suspending VOA broadcasts and placing most of its 1,300 employees on administrative leave.
The terminated employees, mostly contractors, received notice that their employment would end effective May 30.
Lake made no apologies for the administration’s approach to the taxpayer-funded organization that many conservatives have criticized for years.
“In accordance with President Trump’s executive order dated March 14, we are in the process of rightsizing the agency and reducing the federal bureaucracy to meet administration priorities,” Lake said.
🇺🇸 TRUMP AXES 600 VOICE OF AMERICA JOURNALISTS
The Trump administration delivered a devastating blow to Voice of America, firing nearly 600 employees – over a third of its staff – in what critics call an assault on independent journalism.
Most of the fired employees were… https://t.co/Y1WjodeKWa pic.twitter.com/lNBuTt9eHS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 16, 2025
The reforms go beyond just staff reductions. Lake announced a partnership between VOA and conservative media outlet One America News.
This signals a commitment to ensuring America’s achievements are properly highlighted on the world stage instead of being undermined.
“It would be an absolute shame to let the fake news cover America’s resurgence under Trump without pushback,” Lake wrote on social media. “At Voice of America, we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The White House has long criticized VOA for its leftist bias.
According to critics, before the action, VOA broadcast in 49 languages to an audience of 354 million weekly, often with messaging that failed to align with American interests.
The terminations were not without controversy. VOA’s director, Michael Abramowitz, expressed opposition to the changes, and the terminated journalists included J-1 visa holders who must now leave the United States within 30 days.
Advocacy groups and the affected networks have sued the administration, claiming executive overreach.
Meanwhile, the administration’s actions signal a serious approach to eliminating bloated government bureaucracy while ensuring taxpayer-funded media accurately represent American values.
The Trump White House demonstrated its commitment to draining the swamp by even renting the Wilber J. Cohen building, which houses Voice of America.
Despite legal challenges from entrenched bureaucrats and advocacy groups, the administration appears determined to follow through on its promises to reform federal agencies that have strayed from their core missions and become vehicles for promoting left-wing ideologies.
