Voice of America Faces Drastic Staff Cuts

Kari Lake, a senior advisor to former President Trump, is proposing drastic cuts to the Voice of America, potentially reducing its workforce from approximately 1,300 full-time employees and contractors to just 81 after mid-August. This proposed downsizing signals a significant reshaping of the international broadcaster, raising concerns about its future capacity to deliver unbiased news and information globally. While proponents of streamlining often cite budgetary concerns and the need for increased efficiency, such a severe reduction risks crippling VOA’s ability to effectively counter disinformation and provide independent reporting, particularly in regions with limited press freedom. The scale of the proposed cuts suggests a fundamental shift in the role and scope of an organization historically intended to represent American values and provide an alternative to state-controlled media abroad. It remains to be seen how such a dramatically smaller workforce would maintain VOA’s current language services and reach, or whether these cuts represent a broader effort to diminish independent international broadcasting altogether.