The Fall of Voice of America: Drastic Staff Reductions and Their Impact

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has initiated extensive layoffs, issuing termination notices to 639 employees, reducing its workforce by 85% since March. This marks a significant reduction of the Voice of America's (VOA) personnel, a network established to oppose Nazi propaganda during World War II.

Kari Lake, senior advisor to the USAGM, emphasized that these cuts aim to dismantle what she referred to as a 'bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.' Lake noted the agency now operates near its statutory minimum, retaining 250 employees across the USAGM, VOA, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

These staffing cuts indicate the effective end of VOA's operations, which once broadcast in 50 languages and reached 360 million viewers weekly. The move aligns with wider Republican efforts to trim government size, despite criticism and ongoing legal challenges to the cuts.

(With inputs from agencies.)