Senior White House adviser Kari Lake has made headlines for her drastic decision to slash the workforce at the U.S. Agency for Global Media by 85%, resulting in the elimination of 1,400 positions. The layoffs primarily targeted Voice of America, a government-owned international network known for broadcasting news reports to countries under autocratic rule since World War II. Lake defended her actions as a necessary step to dismantle what she called a bloated and unaccountable bureaucracy, in alignment with an executive order from President Trump.
The move drew sharp criticism from affected employees, including Voice of America staff who described it as a blow to independent journalism that upholds U.S. ideals of democracy and freedom worldwide. Despite protests and lawsuits filed by employees and media outlets like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, Lake has stood by her decision, citing concerns about security vulnerabilities within the agency.
As tensions escalated between Israel and Iran, Lake brought back some staff to revive the Persian-language service, only to issue layoff notices to many of them shortly afterward. The layoffs are set to take effect on September 1, prompting calls from affected employees for Congress to support Voice of America’s mission amidst growing global disinformation campaigns. Lake is scheduled to testify at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing titled “Spies, Lies and Mismanagement: Examining the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s Downfall,” where the contentious issue is expected to be further scrutinized.
