US judge halts government plan to cut hundreds jobs at USAGM

(MENAFN) A US federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut more than 500 jobs at the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), primarily affecting the Voice of America (VOA) news service, according to reports.

US District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC, ruled against USAGM’s attempt to eliminate 532 full-time positions, which make up the bulk of the agency’s workforce, pausing the layoffs that had been scheduled to begin Tuesday. Kari Lake, the agency’s acting CEO, had announced in late August that the job cuts would commence on that date. Lamberth’s decision maintains the current staffing levels until the court rules on a motion challenging the planned reductions.

The judge criticized USAGM under Lake’s leadership for showing “concerning disrespect” for court orders, accusing the agency of misleading the court about layoffs that could impede its legal obligation to broadcast in areas with limited press freedom.

“The Court no longer harbors any doubt that defendants lack a plan to comply with the preliminary injunction, and instead have been running out the clock on the fiscal year while remaining in violation of even the most meager reading of USAGM and Voice of America’s statutory obligations,” Lamberth said.

Earlier, the judge had directed the Trump administration to restore VOA programming to fulfill its legal mandate as a reliable news source. He also blocked Lake from removing VOA Director Michael Abramowitz and noted that the administration had not demonstrated compliance with prior orders to restore VOA operations.

In March, President Trump singled out VOA, accusing it of promoting partisan propaganda and dubbing it "the voice of radical America."

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