Layoff notices were issued Friday to 639 employees of Voice of America (VOA) and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The layoffs affected all language services, including the Latin America division.
Staff from VOA’s Persian-language service, some of whom were recently recalled from administrative leave to cover news in Iran, also received layoff notices. According to a terminated employee, three journalists from the Persian service had their badges confiscated and were denied reentry to their office on Friday.
Most VOA employees have been on administrative leave since a March 14 executive order shut down the news agency for the first time in its 80-year history. In late May, the agency terminated more than 500 contractors.
The latest round of layoffs comes amid pending lawsuits and a federal judge’s order for the Trump administration to restore jobs and funding for VOA.
In a post shared on social media, Michael Abramowitz, director of Voice of America, expressed concern for staff and the impact of the layoffs on the organization.
“The scope of the agency’s actions appears massive and would eviscerate Voice of America’s congressionally mandated role to provide objective news to closed societies and other places around the world…. Conducting these reductions with no obvious strategy or purpose in mind is deeply destructive. If unchecked, it will prove damaging to the national security of the United States.”
Judge Royce Lamberth ruled in April that the shutdown likely violated the law and Constitution.
“We are still contesting these actions in court. Just this week, our lawyers made a strong case to Judge Lamberth that the government is disobeying his order that USAGM ensure that Voice of America operates consistent with congressional intent. And I have reason to believe that members of Congress are increasingly concerned about the future of Voice of America and its role in combating the malign influence of authoritarian regimes across the world,” wrote Abramowitz.
Three VOA employees, Jessica Jerreat, Kate Neeper, and Patsy Widakuswara, who are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the agency, were among those who received layoff notices.
A hearing in the case with Judge Lamberth is scheduled for Monday, June 23 at 11 am ET.
Full disclosure: I am among the contributing contractors of VOA’s Latin America division affected by the layoffs.
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