On March 14, Trump signed an executive order to hollow out several small government agencies and offices including the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which is the parent company of Voice of America (VOA).
VOA Director Mike Abramowitz announced the following day that “virtually the entire staff of Voice of America — more than 1300 journalists, producers and support staff — has been placed on administrative leave today.” Abramowitz was one of them. He accurately noted that dismantling VOA will be a boon to America’s adversaries “like Iran, China, and Russia.”
Also on the following day, USAGM notified Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that it will be ending its grants to the media groups. These specifically amount to gifts to Chinese and Russian autocracy, respectively.
VOA has been the subject of right-wing culture wars. It received scrutiny from the right after one headline by one author questioning “white privilege.” Apparently, this was enough justification to endanger American soft power and interests.
