Blow To Kenyan Journalists After Trump Orders Mass Firing At Media House
A reduction in Force Termination Notices was sent to 639 employees at USAGM and VOA, a move that could also target Kenyan journalists working for the media house.
Marvin Chege 
The United States (US) President Donald Trump administration on Friday, June 20, initiated widespread layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other state-funded media organisations, pushing forward with the cuts despite ongoing legal battles.
Kari Lake, a staunch Trump ally recently appointed to a top position at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), defended the decision, calling it a "long-overdue" move to break down what she described as an overgrown and unaccountable bureaucracy.
In her statement, Lake said she would collaborate with the State Department and Congress to ensure America's narrative is told in a more modern, effective way that supports U.S. foreign policy goals.
"In accordance with President Trump's Executive Order dated March 14, 2025, titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), has completed a significant workforce reduction, eliminating 1,400 positions, an 85% decrease in personnel since March," the statement read in part.
US President Donald Trump speaks in Atlanta, October 2024. /GETTY IMAGES
"Today, we took decisive action to effectuate President Trump's agenda to shrink the out-of-control federal bureaucracy," said Lake, Senior Advisor to USAGM.
She further disclosed that a reduction in Force Termination Notices was sent to 639 employees at USAGM and VOA, a move that could also target Kenyan journalists working for the media house.
"For decades, American taxpayers have been forced to bankroll an agency that's been riddled with dysfunction, bias, and waste. That ends now. I'm proud to carry out President Trump's executive order and deliver results that put America First," she added.
USAGM added that the action fulfils the President's directive to eliminate all non-statutory functions and reduce the agency to its statutory minimum. Senior career officials, with decades of federal experience, approved a statutory plan calling for 81 employees to remain.
"After today, 250 employees remain across USAGM, Voice of America, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), which transmits news into Cuba from OCB's Marathon, Florida studio. Contrary to false reporting, none of OCB's 33 employees have been terminated," added the statement.
The layoffs at Voice of America affected several journalists from its Persian service, some of whom had only recently returned to work following Israel's strike on Iran a week earlier.
Employees have filed a lawsuit contesting Kari Lake’s actions, pointing out that the dismissals happened despite Congress already approving the necessary funding. In a statement, the three plaintiffs warned that the mass firings mark "the end of 83 years of independent journalism that champions U.S. values of democracy and freedom across the globe."
"Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and extremist groups are flooding the information space with anti-American propaganda. Do not cede this ground by silencing America's voice," said the three complainants, Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the "decimation of US broadcasting leaves authoritarian propaganda unchecked by US-backed independent media and is a perversion of the law and congressional intent."
Trump and his allies have used government funding as a weapon to shut down agencies and programs they oppose, pushing for media outlets and universities to fall in line ideologically, all under the guise of fighting so-called “left-wing” influence.
VOA was created during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda and later became a tool for promoting U.S. perspectives during the Cold War—something critics claimed shows it was always more about advancing American interests than truly independent reporting.
With this latest development, Kenyan journalists employed at VOA are set to be hit, as the organisation hires several Kenyan nationals across different positions. VOA also stopped its broadcasts in the Great Lakes region, which covers Kenya.
In Kenya, VOA typically airs content on its frequency and collaborates with local stations like Radio Citizen for broader reach.
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