U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth is demanding fuller explanation of the recent staff cuts at Voice of America (VOA). He reiterated this demand at a court hearing this past Friday. The magistrate’s queries come on the heels of a painful layoff of more than 600 workers at the national news wire. Predictably, this news service has been at the center of the fight throughout the Trump administration.
The judge’s order required the DOJ attorney to provide a more thorough written accounting. This update, due next Friday, should detail the Administration’s response to the layoffs and the future of VOA going forward. Unfortunately, this query sheds light on a very disturbing trend. Since March, over 1,400 staff from the networks including Voice of America as well as the parent outfit, U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), have been laid off, totaling 85% of their combined staff.
Kari Lake, a senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, acknowledged that job loss has been “devastating.” In doing so, she underscored the dramatic toll these cuts have taken on the agency’s mission and preparedness. Those worries intensify with a related ruling from one week earlier. That decision thwarted the Trump administration’s efforts to gut VOA, an 83-year-old institution that’s crucial to the dissemination of independent news around the world.
Judge Lamberth expressed his frustration during the hearing, stating, “What would be the purpose of Voice of America if there was no voice?” This rhetorical question gets to the heart of larger issues facing the agency – establishing agency accountability to enforce congressional directives.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Georgina Yeomans said that the administration’s intentions for Voice of America are still murky at best. She said that they have been “extraordinarily difficult to nail down on.” In response, government counsel Brenda Gonzalez Horowitz asserted that the agency has been operating under an April 22 court order. She underscored that they are doing so “in good faith” to preserve VOA’s core missions.
Dissenting voices emerged in court. William Schultz, another attorney representing the plaintiffs, argued that the administration’s approach was unlawful. He stated, “Having people sit at home is not complying with these statutes or congressional appropriations.” This statement emphasizes frustrations surrounding the ongoing paid administrative leave situation affecting virtually the entire staff of Voice of America for over three months.
These are themes in the $262 million that Congress has given Voice of America to use for the 2025 fiscal year. This decision highlights their long-standing hope that the agency just goes about its business without any drama. As tensions mount between judicial oversight and executive action, stakeholders await clarity on the administration’s compliance with congressional directives and its commitment to preserving the integrity of Voice of America.
