**Trump Administration Cuts Funding to US-Funded Media Outlets**
The Trump administration has taken action against two US-funded media outlets: Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). On March 15, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that deemed the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) as “unnecessary”. As a result, funding to RFE/RL was terminated.
**Journalists and Employees on Administrative Leave**
VOA journalists and employees were placed on administrative leave. An email sent to VOA employees instructed them not to enter USAGM premises or access USAGM systems. The email also asked employees to surrender their official identification badges and government property.
**Criticism from Journalists and Media Outlets**
Journalists at VOA expressed shock and upset over the decision. A VOA journalist who was placed on leave said that everyone had expected this move, citing previous tweets by Elon Musk calling for the shutdown of RFE/RL and VOA.
**Termination of Grant Funding**
Grant funding to RFE/RL was put on hold. Stephen Capus, head of RFE/RL, called the decision a “massive gift to America’s enemies”. The Iranian government, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years.
**Impact on Media Outlets**
The Trump administration has previously cut thousands of federally-funded positions. This move comes as top officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were terminated in February after they attempted to prevent representatives from Elon Musk’s DOGE from accessing restricted areas.
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