Kari Lake, acting CEO of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), announced a reduction in force affecting a large number of full-time federal employees, with more than 500 positions to be eliminated. The cuts focus on Voice of America and other government-funded international broadcasters as part of efforts to shrink operations and funding. Federal judges have blocked the firing of VOA director Michael Abramowitz and ordered Lake to sit for a deposition by September 15. Agency employees who sued to prevent VOA's elimination condemned the moves and seek review of the required congressional process.
"The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has initiated what is known as a reduction in force (RIF) of a large number of its full-time federal employees," Lake wrote on X. "I look forward to taking additional steps in the coming months to improve the functioning of a very broken agency and make sure America's voice is heard abroad where it matters most."
"Furthermore, earlier in the week, US District Judge Royce Lamberth also separately ruled President Donald Trump's administration had yet to show it was complying with orders to restore VOA's operations. His order on Monday gave the administration 'one final opportunity, short of a contempt trial' to comply and ordered Lake sit for a deposition by lawyers for agency employees by September 15."
Collection
[
|
...
]