On February 24, United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) offered a “deferred resignation program” in another effort to gut its components, including Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe, via voluntary buyouts, as USAGM CEO Kari Lake has struggled to legally fire its employees.
Lake and an email sent by USAGM vaguely cited the need for “efficiency” and “accountability,” but did not describe how USAGM would be more accountable and efficient with fewer employees. Lake also claimed that the agency was “bloated.” Workers were given a March 9 deadline to accept the package.
This attempt to further dismantle USAGM comes despite Congress rebuking Trump by funding the agency. Patsy Widakuswara, an employee on administrative leave and plaintiff against Lake, was unswayed by the measure.
“This latest move is not going to deter us from moving forward with the next phase of our fight: ensuring that VOA serves our global audience beyond the handful of languages current;y on air, delivering journalism, not propaganda.”
Politico
Lake has not commented on the national security ramifications of dismantling USAGM, which reaches a global audience, including in countries such as Myanmar, Russia, Belarus, and China, where independent media is difficult to access, and authoritarian, anti-American propaganda is prevalent. This makes the USAGM a critical national security tool for the United States.
On March 17, Lake would lose the lawsuit, and over 1,000 Voice of America employees would be reinstated. This adds to a long losing streak for Lake, who failed to win in several statewide Arizona elections.
