Trump administration fires almost 600 Voice of America employees
President Trump has fired hundreds of employees at Voice of America as his government aims to trim down the size of the federal broadcaster and retool its editorial strategy.
The nearly 600 employees who were first from VOA this week include mostly contractors, The New York Times reported, noting that figure represents about a third of the broadcaster's staff.
A copy of a notification to effected employees, which was reviewed by The Hill, informed the staffers that they will be terminated as of May 30 and instructs them to return badges, credentials and other VOA property by that time.
The news comes just days after Kari Lake, who serves as the senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), said VOA would partner with conservative media outlet One America News to provide news feed services to USAGM networks.
Lake, a longtime supporter of Trump, has vowed to ensure the agency "chronicles America’s achievements worldwide."
Launched by the federal government after World War II, VOA has for decades employed journalists who report in English from war torn and authoritarian governments worldwide.
“It would be an absolute shame to let the fake news cover America’s resurgence under Trump without pushback,” Lake wrote in one social media post after she was named its top advisor. “At Voice of America, we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The news comes after a federal judge last month ordered the Trump administration to restore VOA and affiliated news services, saying the move to dismantle the agency was likely unlawful. Another judge in March also ruled against the president.