Voice of America halts broadcasts, staff furloughed

PanARMENIAN.Net - Michael Abramowitz, director of Voice of America (VOA), announced on his Facebook page on March 15 that after 83 years of service, "Voice of America will be silent." He noted that he and the entire staff of 1,300 employees have been placed on furlough. Abramowitz stated, "VOA can no longer fulfill its vital mission."

He said this mission is “especially critical today, as America's adversaries, such as Iran, China, and Russia, are spending billions of dollars to create false narratives to discredit the United States.”

This announcement follows President Donald Trump's executive order to dissolve seven agencies, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), under which VOA operates. The White House stated that VOA was defunded due to spreading "radical propaganda." Employees were accused of publishing commentary targeting President Trump personally.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dissolve seven federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees foreign policy communications and manages state-funded broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, including their online platforms. Although officially recognized as an independent entity, the agency was known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors before 2018.