WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. government has placed more than 1,300 Voice of America (VOA) employees on leave and slashed funding for two major international broadcasters, effectively crippling key sources of independent news in authoritarian regions.

The move follows President Donald Trump's executive order to downsize several federal agencies, including VOA's parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

VOA Director Michael Abramowitz called it an unprecedented moment in the broadcaster's 83-year history. "I am deeply saddened that for the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced," he wrote on LinkedIn, emphasizing its role in supporting democracy worldwide.

USAGM also cut grants to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which provides news to Eastern Europe, Russia, and Ukraine, and Radio Free Asia, which serves audiences in China and North Korea. The decision leaves millions without access to independent reporting in countries where press freedom is restricted.

Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA now reaches 360 million people weekly. USAGM, which employed roughly 3,500 workers with an $886 million budget in 2024, now faces drastic downsizing.

VOA's Seoul Bureau Chief William Gallo confirmed he had been locked out of company systems and accounts. "All I've ever wanted to do is shoot straight and tell the truth, no matter what government I was covering," he wrote on Bluesky.

Kari Lake, Trump's nominee to lead VOA, defended the cuts, calling USAGM "a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer." She vowed to reduce it to the smallest size legally possible, stating that the agency was "not salvageable."

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky described Radio Free Europe as a "beacon" for those living under authoritarian rule. The National Press Club in Washington condemned the move, warning it undermined America's long-standing support for a free press. Reporters Without Borders called it a direct threat to press freedom worldwide.

Meanwhile, Trump's administration has pursued aggressive cost-cutting measures across the federal government. Under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, more than 100,000 federal jobs, along with foreign aid and government programs, have been cut.

Musk made light of the USAGM cuts on X, posting: "While winding down this global government propaganda agency, it has temporarily been renamed the Department of Propaganda Everywhere (DOPE)."

The White House defended the executive order, stating it would prevent taxpayer money from funding "radical propaganda" and accused VOA of bias.