Judge temporarily blocks dismantling of VOA
A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s administration from dismantling the government-funded news outlet Voice of America (VOA), preventing the termination of more than 1,200 reporters and other employees put on paid leave earlier this month for now.
U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, barring the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, from disbanding the international broadcasting network and its connected radio programs.
“Because Defendants failed to provide adequate reasoning behind the sweeping changes to USAGM and seemingly failed to consider any reliance issues in effectively closing the agency, they have likely violated Section 706(2)(A) of the APA. Plaintiffs have thus met their burden of establishing a likelihood of success on the merits,” Oetken said in the 22-page opinion.
The Friday order also bars USAGM from cutting funds intended for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. On Thursday, the Trump administration said in court documents that it had resumed funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Open Technology Fund in response to another lawsuit.
“We are proud to stand with journalists and media workers who sounded the alarm and fought back,” NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss said in a statement. “This ruling is a powerful rebuke to an administration that has shown contempt for press freedom and the rule of law.”
The initial lawsuit, led by unions, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and a handful of VOA reporters, was filed last week, arguing the shuttering of the outlet was in violation of multiple laws. They asked the court to fully reinstate VOA, which has been off air since reporters and other workers were put on paid leave earlier this month.
Trump and other Republicans have been critical of VOA for some time, claiming the outlet is biased against conservatives in its coverage, which is broadcasted in nearly 50 languages.
Kari Lake, a failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate, whom Trump picked as senior adviser for VOA, said the international news outlet has an “incredible mission” and has called for the broadcaster “to return to it.”
“We're going modernize it, make it more efficient, and ensure that instead of spreading anti-American propaganda, it's spreading information aligned with our diplomatic policies,” Lake said in a Friday post on the social media platform X.
Oetken wrote in the Friday order that “withholding congressionally appropriated funds, and effectively shuttering a congressionally created agency simply cannot be construed as following through on this constitutional mandate.”
“And while Lake has continually used phrases such as ‘shed[ing] everything that is not statutorily required’ at USAGM, and ‘streamlining our operations to what is statutorily required by law,’ insinuating that these actions fall within the statutory parameters laid out by Congress, such language is impossible to square with what Plaintiffs allege has happened—that is, that ‘Defendants have shut down all USAGM operations,” the judge said.
VOA employees got a new “Fork in the Road” email on Friday, not long before the judge’s ruling.
It offered workers to “voluntarily transition out of federal service through the Deferred Resignation Program [DRP],” until April 9, according to a copy of the email that was reviewed by The Hill and another person familiar with the agency.
“Employees who choose to participate in the DRP will retain full pay and benefits and will be exempt from in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025, unless they choose to depart earlier,” the Friday email that came from a human resource contact read.
“If you decide to apply for the DRP, please type the word 'Resign – Your Full Legal Name' in the subject line of your email and send it to hrcustomerservice@usagm.gov. You may submit your request from either your work email address or personal email address,” the employees were told in the email.
The Hill has reached out to USAGM for comment.
Updated at 11:23 p.m. EDT