US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Attempt to Lay Off Voice of America Staff

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

A U.S. federal judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s administration from laying off more than 500 employees at Voice of America (VOA), according to a court order issued Monday.

The effort, led by Kari Lake, senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), aimed to reduce the workforce at the government-funded broadcaster despite ongoing legal challenges and criticism that such actions could benefit U.S. adversaries.

Hundreds of VOA staff received termination notices in June, following a Trump directive that froze the outlet’s operations for the first time since its founding in 1942. The layoffs were scheduled to take effect on September 30.

However, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled against Lake, suspending the planned terminations. "The Reduction in Force announced by Defendant Lake on or about August 29, 2025, is SUSPENDED and may NOT be implemented… until this Court has ruled on the plaintiffs’ Motion," Lamberth wrote, referring to further legal proceedings scheduled for next month.

The ruling builds on a preliminary injunction issued in April, in which the court found Lake’s actions “arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law.” Monday’s decision aims to ensure VOA’s programming continues and that USAGM fulfills its statutory mandate.

Lake has described the June termination notices as a "long-overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy." The judge, however, noted that Lake and other officials had resisted providing information on whether they had a plan to comply with the April injunction. "The Court no longer harbors any doubt that defendants lack a plan to comply with the preliminary injunction," Lamberth wrote, adding that they had "been running out the clock on the fiscal year while remaining in violation of statutory obligations."

VOA, created during World War II, operates under USAGM, an independent agency tasked with promoting democracy and countering propaganda worldwide through outlets such as Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

Trump has frequently criticized media organizations, including VOA, questioning the outlet’s editorial independence, which is designed to prevent government interference in its reporting.