A U.S. federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s plan to lay off more than 500 employees of Voice of America (VOA), marking a major setback in efforts to downsize the government-funded broadcaster.
In a ruling issued Monday, Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court suspended the layoffs, which were scheduled to take effect September 30, after concluding that the government’s actions violated earlier court orders.
“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,” the judge wrote, referring to Kari Lake, senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), who has been driving the restructuring.
The judge stressed that Monday’s ruling was necessary to enforce an injunction first issued in April, when the court found the administration’s actions to be “arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law.”
VOA at the center of political storm
Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II, VOA has long been a symbol of U.S. soft power, broadcasting news and information to international audiences as part of the USAGM’s mandate to promote democracy abroad.
The outlet has become a flashpoint in recent years, with President Trump openly criticizing its editorial independence and dismissing the agency’s “firewall” rule that bars government interference in coverage.
In June, hundreds of VOA staff received termination notices, sparking outrage from journalists, free-press advocates, and lawmakers who warned that dismantling VOA would hand propaganda victories to U.S. adversaries.
Lake, who has defended the layoffs as a “long-overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy,” has faced accusations of deliberately ignoring the April injunction. Judge Lamberth, in his 19-page ruling, said the defendants appeared to be “running out the clock on the fiscal year while remaining in violation of statutory obligations.”
What’s next?
The case is set for further hearings next month, with the judge making clear that VOA’s programming and operations must be restored in the meantime.
VOA, along with other USAGM entities like Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, plays a critical role in delivering independent news to global audiences where press freedoms are restricted.
The injunction ensures that—for now—the network’s mission remains intact as legal and political battles continue over its future.
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