Judge pauses Trump administration plan to cut 532 Voice of America jobs

🔍 Key Facts

A federal judge has paused the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate 532 full‑time Voice of America positions.
The judge in the case, Royce Lamberth, said the administration showed “concerning disrespect” toward the court and that its conduct could “readily support contempt proceedings.”
Acting USAGM CEO Kari Lake announced the planned cuts in late August.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) initiated the reduction‑in‑force (RIF) hours after a prior court hearing.
Congress appropriated $875 million to USAGM for FY2025, with $260 million specifically earmarked for Voice of America, and the administration cited a March executive order directing cuts to agency functions as part of its rationale for the reductions.

The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 provides that government employees automatically receive back pay after a government shutdown.
Social Security benefits are funded through mandatory spending, meaning the program's funding is provided without an annual expiration and does not require yearly appropriations to continue benefit payments.
Civilian personnel whose work the Department of Defense designates as 'excepted' continue to work during a government shutdown, while other Department of Defense civilian employees are furloughed.
During a U.S. federal government shutdown, active-duty military personnel and deployed National Guard members must continue to perform their assigned duties but their pay is delayed until the shutdown ends.
The Department of Defense estimated that about 406,000 of its 741,000 civilian employees would be required to work during a government shutdown because their missions are critical and not easily carried out by service members.
A Social Security Administration contingency plan published on Sept. 24 indicated that about 45,000 SSA employees (roughly 90% of the agency's workforce) would remain on the job during a government shutdown, while roughly 6,200 employees would be furloughed.
Republicans and Democrats were engaged in negotiations over government funding ahead of an upcoming funding deadline described as occurring on a Tuesday.

Many X users celebrate the proposed job cuts as a necessary step to 'drain the swamp' and eliminate perceived waste and bias in government-funded media, viewing it as fulfilling Trump's promises to reform inefficient agencies.
Supporters on X highlight Kari Lake's actions as bold leadership against what they see as anti-American or Marxist elements within Voice of America, emphasizing the need to realign the agency with national interests.
Some X posts express concern that pausing the cuts undermines efforts to reduce taxpayer-funded bureaucracy, arguing that the agency's large budget could be better allocated elsewhere amid fiscal pressures.
Critics on X worry that the job reductions could weaken U.S. soft power and international broadcasting, potentially allowing adversaries like China or Russia to fill the information void.
X discussions often frame the judge's intervention as judicial overreach interfering with executive branch reforms, with users debating the balance between court authority and administrative efficiency.

Based on 2 sources

PBS News by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press September 30, 2025

New information:

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.

https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews/ September 30, 2025