Wednesday 26 March 2025 02:47 GMT

Bold move to dismantle large sections of American government


(MENAFN) In another bold move to dismantle large sections of the American government, President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk, supported by his team at DOGE, have set their sights on slashing budgets and staff for several government agencies, effectively rendering them inactive. This latest round of cuts, carried out through executive order, targets various offices that deal with labor dispute mediation and homelessness. However, the most notable reaction has come from the attack on state-run propaganda efforts abroad, specifically the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

USAGM, a relatively new entity formed in 2018, traces its roots to the Cold War and is essentially the U.S. government’s global propaganda wing. The agency's predecessors, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Liberty, were originally set up as Cold War tools and, in their earlier days, were operated covertly by the CIA. Despite official denials, these outlets were designed to influence public opinion both in the East and the West, presenting biased information as independent news.

In 1971, the CIA officially ceased its direct involvement, but the underlying manipulative structure continued. The Board for International Broadcasting, a presidentially-appointed body, took over, further reinforcing the importance of this media arm to U.S. foreign policy. Over time, USAGM absorbed various outlets like Radio Free Asia and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, maintaining its role as a key player in U.S. global messaging.

Now, Trump and Musk's recent budget cuts threaten to diminish USAGM's influence, sparking significant backlash from mainstream media and political centrists who view this as a direct attack on the U.S.'s capacity to influence global narratives.

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