The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed more than 600 staff members from Voice of America (VOA), effectively crippling the U.S.-funded international broadcaster that has served as a global news source since World War II.
At least 639 employees received termination notices on Friday, including journalists from the VOA Persian service who had just returned from administrative leave to resume broadcasts to Iran following Israel’s recent military offensive. However, their reinstatement was brief—insiders report that three Persian-language journalists were locked out of the building after stepping outside for a break, with their security passes confiscated.
In total, approximately 1,400 employees—roughly 85% of the workforce across VOA and its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media—have been terminated since March. Kari Lake, Trump’s senior adviser at the agency, confirmed the mass layoffs, framing them as part of a sweeping reform effort.
“For decades, American taxpayers have been forced to bankroll an agency plagued by dysfunction, bias, and waste,” Lake said in a statement. “That ends now.”
Founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA later played a critical role in the Cold War, promoting democratic values and countering Soviet misinformation. Over the years, it became a trusted source of accurate, multilingual journalism—particularly in authoritarian countries with limited press freedom.
Under Trump, however, that legacy has been drastically undermined. Critics view the mass firings as part of a broader ideological attack on independent media. The administration has also proposed defunding other public broadcasters like NPR and PBS, with legislation currently pending in Congress.
Many VOA staff had already been placed on administrative leave since March 15, leading to the suspension of programming and the silencing of official social media accounts. Even three journalists actively suing the administration over VOA’s dismantling were among those who received termination letters.
In April, SaharaReporters revealed that VOA broadcasts had mysteriously gone silent in several African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Niger. The abrupt interruption triggered alarm among listeners, with eerie music replacing scheduled programming.
“People started calling, worried that there had been a coup in America,” said Babangida Jibrin, a former journalist with VOA’s now-disbanded Hausa service.
VOA Hausa had been a critical news lifeline in Nigeria’s conflict-ridden north and in neighboring regions with limited access to independent reporting. Its shutdown has left a significant void in areas where internet penetration is low and state-controlled media dominate.
“People are now cut off from the world, especially from critical international news,” lamented Moussa Jaharou, a resident of southern Niger. He called the move “a deliberate silencing of the poor.”
In response to the mass layoffs and broader dismantling of public institutions, over 1,100 protest rallies are scheduled across all 50 U.S. states this weekend. Organized under the banner “Hands Off!”, the protests are backed by more than 150 organizations, including the ACLU, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
According to reports by Yahoo News, the layoffs are being coordinated in part by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who serves as an adviser to Trump. Protesters argue the actions are part of a wider agenda to erode federal institutions and cut essential public services such as Social Security, Medicaid, public education, and press freedom.
