Trump signs order to gut Voice of America, other agencies



President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday aimed at gutting the parent of U.S. government-funded media outlet Voice of America and six other federal agencies, his administration’s latest step to shrink bureaucracy.

The order instructs the agencies — largely little-known entities including one that provides funding for museums and libraries and one tackling homelessness — to reduce their operations to the bare minimum mandated by the law.

“This order continues the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary,” the order, disclosed late on Friday, says. Trump, who clashed with the Voice of America during his first term, picked former news anchor Kari Lake to be its director for his second. Lake, a staunch ally of the president, has often accused mainstream media of harboring anti-Trump bias.

VOA, an international media broadcaster that operates in more than 40 languages online and on radio and television, is overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency also funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia.

In addition to the Agency for Global Media, Trump’s order also targets the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency for cuts.

The order says those agencies should eliminate all operations not codified in statute as well as “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” The order represents the latest step by Trump to remake the federal bureaucracy, a task he has largely put in the hands of tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. So far, the DOGE effort has produced potential cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, the freezing of foreign aid, and the cancellation of thousands of programs and contracts.

Some Republicans have accused VOA and other publicly-funded media outlets of being biased against conservatives. Last month, Musk called for VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to be shut down in a post to his X social media platform.

In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Lake said that while she understood calls to completely dismantle VOA, she believed it could be improved.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Trump orders strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and issues new warning

    President Donald Trump said he ordered a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force” until Iranian-backed Houthi rebels cease their attacks on…

    Albanian opposition protests TikTok ban, alleges censure of free speech ahead of election

    Article content TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s opposition Saturday protested the left-wing government’s decision to shut down TikTok, considering the move a censure of freedom of speech ahead of May…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    How to watch Nvidia GTC 2025, including CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote

    How to watch Nvidia GTC 2025, including CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote

    Falcons keep Kirk Cousins on roster past bonus deadline

    Falcons keep Kirk Cousins on roster past bonus deadline

    God of War: 20th Anniversary Retrospective Book Box Set Preorders Go Live March 17

    God of War: 20th Anniversary Retrospective Book Box Set Preorders Go Live March 17

    Beauty Marks: The Best Beauty Looks of The Week

    Beauty Marks: The Best Beauty Looks of The Week

    Tens of thousands attend anti-government protest in Serbia

    Tens of thousands attend anti-government protest in Serbia

    Prime Minister Carney to strengthen ties with France and the United Kingdom and reaffirm Canada’s sovereignty

    Prime Minister Carney to strengthen ties with France and the United Kingdom and reaffirm Canada’s sovereignty