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Monday, March 17, 2025
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White House Cuts Funding to Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, Other Global Media Outlets

This Week

The Trump administration’s recent actions have led to severe budget cuts for the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and other global media outlets. On 15 March, federal grants supporting RFA and its partner networks were officially terminated.

These cuts follow an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on 14 March, which mandates a reduction in non-statutory divisions within the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

USAGM, the federal entity responsible for funding RFA, VOA, and several other independent international news organizations, receives its budget through congressional appropriations. The agency then distributes these funds to its affiliated media outlets.

The executive order broadly calls for eliminating USAGM, along with six other unrelated government entities, including those focused on museums, homelessness, and minority business development.

The goal is to reduce or eliminate these agencies “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” 

As a result of the cuts, nearly all 1,300 VOA staff members were placed on leave, and news broadcasts have been halted. Some VOA stations have switched to playing music. 

In addition to VOA and RFA, USAGM oversees Radio Free Europe and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, all of which have had their contracts terminated. While the order primarily targets USAGM’s non-statutory components, RFA remains legally protected under the International Broadcasting Act.

RFA, which began broadcasting in 1996, serves audiences in countries with restricted press freedom, broadcasting in nine languages. Its parent agency, USAGM, oversees media outlets that broadcast in over 60 languages worldwide.

Critics warn that these cuts could diminish U.S. influence, leaving space for countries like China to dominate global media narratives.

The future of USAGM is now uncertain. The American Foreign Service Association has vowed to defend the agency and its journalists, while press freedom advocates are calling on Congress to restore funding.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called the cuts “outrageous,” and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul described them as a “giant gift to China.”

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