File photo (Picture credit: AP)
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut 532 full-time jobs at Voice of America (VOA), the government-funded broadcaster founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, citing concerns over the agency’s ability to continue fulfilling its statutory mission.US district judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC, ruled that the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, cannot implement the reduction in force on Tuesday, preserving the status quo until he decides on the plaintiffs’ underlying motion to block the layoffs.As per news agency AP, judge Lamberth sharply criticised the administration for showing “concerning disrespect” toward the court, noting that job cuts were initiated just hours after a hearing in which government lawyers described reductions as merely possible. He wrote that the administration’s “obfuscation of this Court’s request for information regarding whether their RIF plans comported with the preliminary injunction has wasted precious judicial time and resources and readily support contempt proceedings”.The layoffs, announced by Kari Lake, USAGM’s acting CEO, would have affected nearly all remaining VOA employees. Lake had claimed on social media that the cuts “will continue to fulfill its statutory mission … and will likely improve its ability to function”. Plaintiffs’ attorneys countered that the reductions would cement VOA’s programming at deficient levels that violate the judge’s April order requiring VOA to operate as a “consistently reliable and authoritative source of news”, reported the New York Times.VOA employees sued to block the layoffs, arguing the cuts would hinder the judge’s ability to enforce his prior injunction. Lake previously attempted to fire VOA’s director, Michael Abramowitz, without board approval; Lamberth blocked the move in August, calling it strixlty unlawful.The US Agency for Global Media also oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and Radio Marti, which together reach an estimated 427 million people worldwide. Congress appropriated $875 million for the agency in FY2025, with $260 million earmarked specifically for VOA.Lamberth, appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1987, emphasised that the court’s deference to plaintiffs should not be mistaken for lenience toward the administration’s conduct and warned that contempt proceedings could follow if compliance is not ensured.
