Voice of America Suspends Broadcasts, Furloughs Remaining Staff Amid Government Shutdown
On Oct. 1, 2025, amid a federal government shutdown and two days after a judge ordered Voice of America (VOA) to reinstate workers and restore programming, the Trump administration suspended all VOA broadcasts and furloughed nearly all of the roughly 80 remaining VOA employees, with notices posted on several language‑service websites. The move follows Acting USAGM CEO Kari Lake’s late‑August reduction‑in‑force targeting about 532 full‑time positions, prompted criticism from Judge Royce Lamberth over the administration’s conduct, and highlighted conflicting USAGM shutdown documents that variously listed about 650 VOA staff as “essential” while congressional appropriations had earmarked $260 million for VOA within $875 million for USAGM in FY2025.
🔍 Key Facts
- On Oct. 1, 2025, the administration suspended all Voice of America news broadcasts and furloughed nearly all of the roughly 80 remaining VOA employees; suspension notices were posted on multiple language-service websites (Persian, Mandarin, Dari, Pashto).
- The suspension came two days after a federal judge ordered VOA to reinstate workers and restore programming; the judge, Royce Lamberth, had earlier paused the administration’s plan to eliminate hundreds of VOA jobs and criticized the administration’s conduct as showing “concerning disrespect” to the court and potentially supporting contempt proceedings.
- The administration had targeted a reduction in force of 532 full‑time government positions at USAGM/VOA; Acting USAGM CEO Kari Lake announced the cuts in late August and the agency initiated the RIF hours after a prior hearing.
- USAGM shutdown-prep documents were inconsistent about VOA’s status: an earlier document listed about 650 VOA staff as essential, while a more recent document did not designate VOA as essential.
- Congress had appropriated $875 million to USAGM for FY2025, including $260 million earmarked for VOA, and a March executive order directed cuts to agency functions — the broader funding and policy context cited by reporting on the dispute.
📍 Contextual Background
- The United States federal government entered a partial shutdown on 2025-10-01 after the midnight funding deadline passed with Democrats and Republicans failing to agree on a funding bill.
📰 Sources (3)
- The Trump administration suspended all Voice of America news broadcasts and furloughed all its journalists on Oct. 1, 2025.
- Nearly all of the roughly 80 remaining VOA employees were furloughed after the shutdown.
- The suspension occurred two days after a judge ordered VOA to reinstate workers and restore programming.
- USAGM shutdown-prep documents differ over VOA's status: a prior document listed about 650 VOA staff as essential, while a more recent one did not designate VOA as essential.
- Notices announcing the suspension were posted on VOA language-service websites (Persian, Mandarin, Dari, Pashto).
- Specifies the reduction in force targets 532 full‑time government positions.
- Quotes Judge Royce Lamberth accusing the administration of 'concerning disrespect' toward the court and noting conduct that 'readily support[s] contempt proceedings.'
- Notes Acting USAGM CEO Kari Lake announced the cuts in late August and that the agency initiated the RIF hours after a prior hearing.
- Recaps congressional funding context: $875 million appropriated to the agency for FY2025 with $260 million earmarked for VOA, and references the March executive order directing cuts to agency functions.