LAHORE/ NEW YORK—A journalist based in Lahore, working for Voice of America (VOA), has confirmed that all local and international staff were placed on administrative leave on Saturday.
This decision came one day after President Trump signed an executive order dissolving the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which is VOA’s parent company.
The journalist, who requested to remain anonymous, expressed concerns that it appears VOA may be shut down permanently. He stated, “We are waiting for a call from VOA’s human resources. All staff has been instructed not to attend the office or engage in any activities until further notice.”
He also mentioned that employees were informed they must immediately surrender their USAGM badges, press passes, keys, and any other official government property, including documents, records, electronic devices, and equipment whenever asked.
Nonetheless, VOA staff are required to remain available to report for work if contacted within one business day. If they are unavailable, they were advised to reach out to a human resources representative to adjust their administrative leave to the appropriate leave category.
According to the memo, the journalists will remain employees of USAGM while on administrative leave.
According to The Hill, a memo was sent out by the human resources executive at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) on Saturday morning. The exact number of recipients is unclear, but a source familiar with the situation indicated that most employees of Voice of America (VOA) were placed on administrative leave.
The two-page memo, which was sent shortly after 9:40 a.m. local time on Saturday, followed an executive order signed by Trump aimed at reducing the functions and personnel of seven federal agencies, including USAGM. The order stated, “This order continues the reduction in the elements of the federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.”
The Voice of America (VOA) is an international broadcaster that operates in nearly 50 languages. The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) also funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia.
After winning the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump appointed former Arizona gubernatorial and Senate candidate Kari Lake to lead VOA. Lake, a former television anchor, stated at the Conservative Political Action Conference in mid-February that under her leadership, VOA would not become “Trump TV.”
Trump also nominated conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III to head USAGM, who will select the head of VOA. Republicans have raised numerous accusations of bias against VOA and other publicly funded U.S. news outlets, including NPR and PBS.
Additionally, tech billionaire and senior Trump adviser Elon Musk has called for the termination of VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The institute is an independent, non-profit agency established by Congress in 1984, not part of the federal executive branch.
