On VOA

Alan Cai

March 21, 2025

The Trump administration relieved all employees at Voice of America, effectively shuttering the publication. Voice of America is a federally funded international news broadcasting media service founded during World War II to provide programming for non-American international audiences. The media primarily targets individuals living in authoritarian states without free press access.

According to AP, nearly the entire 1300-person staff of VoA was put on leave and funding has been reduced to the “minimum required by law.” The move is the latest of many the administration has taken to rapidly reduce government expenditures. Notably, many foreign assistance programs including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were closed down.

Many fired employees of VoA (and other government agencies) have pursued legal action to stop the dismantling of their respective departments. Agencies such as the USAID above among others have seen success in court-ordered temporary injunctions and other measures.

Many of the spending cuts the administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have implemented including funding cuts in Ukraine, eliminating the Department of Education, drastically reducing NIH and other institutions’ research grants, and withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) are atrocious and should never have been approved, a case could be made for a gradual sunset to Voice of America.

Under the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, colloquially known as the Smith–Mundt Act, broadcasting programs intended for foreign audiences were not allowed to broadcast in the United States. The rationale behind the law was that media intended for foreign audiences were meant to possess at least a cursory level of propagandistic intent, meaning allowing the program to run in America could set the precedent for domestic information manipulation and influence. It is important to note however, that despite low levels of domestic VOA viewership, the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act section of the National Defense Authorization Act amended the legislation to adapt to the Internet era, thereby allowing Americans to access VOA on the Internet.

There is no doubt that how the Trump administration pursued mass firings was inappropriate in the sense that thousands of federal employees were suddenly fired with little warning and that a more prolonged and prudent closing would give employees more time to adjust and find post-layoff employment opportunities. Nevertheless, the existence of Voice of America as a US-sponsored propaganda machine is questionable at best. As the leading country of the free world, the act of delivering news to foreign countries that we wouldn’t want our citizens to see is dubious and somewhat hypocritical. Although the intentions of promoting democracy worldwide are undoubtedly altruistic, the efficacy and impact of agencies such as VOA are unproven. Even then, what could be construed as promoting rebellious activity in authoritarian states may both weaken our diplomats’ respect on the negotiating table and cause unforeseen and possibly violent consequences on the ground.