All full-time employees of "Voice of America" ​​have been placed on leave following the directive of US President Donald Trump. Around 1,300 employees, including journalists, producers and assistants of the Voice of America, which is broadcast in 49 languages, have been placed on administrative leave.

Last Friday, President Trump signed an executive order directing the operating expenses of Voice of America, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and six other organizations to be kept to a minimum by law. After that, Crystal G. Thomas, Director of Human Resources Department of USAGM, sent an email to the full-time staff of "Voice of America" ​​and informed them that they were placed on administrative leave. 

According to CBS News, an email sent to all full-time employees, including reporters and senior managers, states that freelancers, stringers and those with monthly contracts or assignments should stop working because there is no way to pay them. Employees whose contracts expire next June have not been notified of leave. A journalist who received information on Saturday told CBS News, "The United States has lost another soft power against Russia and China."

Voice of America is an international broadcast network funded by the federal government. Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, the Voice of America is the largest and oldest of the American international broadcasters. The digital, TV and radio content it produces is distributed to affiliate stations around the world. It also operated services in Nepali language from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1993. "Voice of America" ​​is watched by 360 million people in a week. 

Michael Abramowitz, the director of "Voice of America" ​​has responded that it is sad that the voice of the organization that fought for democracy and freedom worldwide is closed. For the first time in 83 years, the Voice of America has been silenced. It's sad,” Abramowitz wrote on LinkedIn. Stating that there is a need for reform in the organization and that some progress has been made, he mentioned that the latest steps will make the Voice of America unable to complete an important campaign. "The organization's campaign is important at a time when countries including Iran, China and Russia are sinking billions of dollars to create a false story to discredit the United States," he said.

'USAGM' has also stopped funding for 'Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty', which has been broadcasting in Eastern European countries including Russia and Ukraine. The subsidy of "Radio Free Asia" which is broadcasting in China and North Korea has also been stopped. Radio Free Asia President Bay Fang and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Chief Financial Officer Joseph Latel were informed of the freeze in federal funding by email. Radio Free Asia President Bay responded that canceling subsidies is a reward for dictators. 

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty says its organization has been declared "undesirable" by the Russian government. It has been mentioned that the listeners who like or share their content in Russia and areas occupied by Russia are at risk of having to pay fines or face prison terms. 

'Voice of America' South Korea Bureau Chief William Gallo has said that he has been banned from all systems and access to the company. "All I've ever wanted is to be straight and tell the truth. If it can cause danger to someone, let it happen," he said to Reuters. Another journalist says that "Voice of America" ​​has played an important role in explaining the official policy of the United States and explaining why democracy is the best political system to foreigners who do not understand English.

Kari Lake, USAGM's special counsel, released a statement calling USAGM "a huge waste and burden on the American taxpayer." According to him, the organization will be shrunk to the minimum possible size under the law. Last December, Trump nominated Lake, a former news anchor, to lead the Voice of America. Lake was sworn in last month as a special adviser to USAGM. It is not clear what his position will be if the USAGM is dissolved. 

Lake said in an interview last December, "I know, they're already doing some good things and I've been seeing a little bit here and there." I didn't go there to make Trump television and Make America Great Again television. Voice of America is not like that.' 

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky of the Czech Republic has said that Radio Free Europe is a "light" for people under totalitarian regimes. "From Belarus to Iran, from Russia to Afghanistan, Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are among the few free resources for people living without freedom," he wrote on the social network X. 

Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club in Washington DC, released a statement saying that the cuts to "Voice of America" ​​have weakened America's commitment to a free and fair press. "Voice of America has been doing independent, fact-based journalism for decades for audiences around the world, especially in countries where there is no freedom of the press," Balsamo said. Reporters Without Borders, based in Paris, France, has also criticized the steps taken by the Trump administration. "This move threatens press freedom around the world and rejects America's history of supporting the free flow of information," Reporters Without Borders said. 

Some Republican leaders have accused the Voice of America and other publicly funded media outlets of being biased against conservatives. They say that the Department of Government Efficiency (DoG) led by billionaire Elon Musk should close such institutions as part of an effort to cut government spending. Dodge has cut more than 100,000 jobs out of a federal workforce of 2.3 million. Dodge has suspended various foreign aid and canceled thousands of programs and contracts.

Musk has also responded to the manpower cuts at USAGM. "During the shutdown of the worldwide government propaganda agency, it has been temporarily renamed the Department of Propaganda Everywhere (DOPE)," he wrote on the social network X. According to a report submitted to the US Congress, USAGM, which has a budget of 886 million US dollars in 2024, has been employing about 3,500 workers.