Trump Budgets Cuts Impact VOA, Radio Marti

Employees at Radio and TV Martí, headquartered in Miami, have been placed on administrative leave following significant budget cuts to Voice of America and other government-funded, pro-democracy media outlets under the Trump administration.

Late Friday, after Congress approved its latest funding bill, President Trump instructed his administration to scale back several agencies to their legal minimums. This directive affected the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Martí—the latter broadcasting Spanish-language news into Cuba.

Michael Abramowitz, the director of VOA, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that he was placed on leave, along with “virtually the entire staff” of 1,300. The announcement comes one day after President Trump signed an executive order to gut VOA’s parent agency.

Some of VOA’s local-language radio stations have stopped broadcasting news reports and switched over to music to fill the airtime, according to listeners.

Even top editors at VOA have been ordered to stop working, so employees expect the broadcaster’s worldwide news coverage to grind to a halt, according to half a dozen sources who spoke with CNN on the condition of anonymity.

“The Voice of America has been silenced, at least for now,” a veteran correspondent told CNN.

Kari Lake

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VOA’s parent agency, under the guidance of Senior Advisor Kari Lake—a former news anchor and Trump appointee—terminated contracts with major wire services, including The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and Agence France-Presse (AFP), on March 14. Lake estimated this would save $53 million, arguing that VOA should produce its own news rather than rely on external providers. She stated on X, “We should be producing news ourselves—and, if that’s not possible, the American taxpayer should know why.” This decision has sparked backlash, with the AP suing after being banned from White House press pools, signaling broader tensions with traditional media.

Named by Trump in December 2024 as his pick to lead VOA, Lake has pushed a vision of “accurate and honest reporting” aligned with Trump’s policies. Her appointment and subsequent actions reflect the administration’s long-standing criticism of VOA, which Trump once called “the voice of the Soviet Union” during his first term, accusing it of promoting foreign propaganda. The White House justified the cuts by citing past VOA coverage—such as stories on white privilege and Russian election interference—as evidence of “radical propaganda.

USAGM also runs networks like Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Those networks are also on Trump’s chopping block, as networks’ contracts with the operators have been terminated.

NBC6 Investigates in Miami has been tracking Radio Martí closely, particularly after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) targeted certain government building leases in South Florida for termination. Among them is the Jorge Mas Canosa Building, home to the U.S. Office of Cuba Broadcasting’s Radio and Television Martí, where ending the $1.5 million annual lease is projected to save taxpayers $5.32 million.

In prior NBC6 Investigates coverage, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Miami) commended DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts but opposed eliminating Radio and Television Martí entirely, a move that could save over $26.6 million annually. “No, I don’t have information about it, and I don’t support eliminating Radio Martí. I support revamping it, but I don’t support eliminating it. I think it’s vital the people of Cuba get free, unedited information,” Gimenez told NBC6.

On Saturday morning, Kari Lake—Trump’s appointee as a senior advisor to the agency and a former Arizona gubernatorial and Senate candidate—posted on X, urging employees to check their email. This coincided with notifications placing Voice of America and Radio Martí staff on paid administrative leave, contradicting earlier unpaid leave notices.

The agency also issued notices terminating grants to Radio Free Asia and other programs under its umbrella. Voice of America delivers U.S. domestic news abroad, often in local languages, while Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Martí target authoritarian regimes in regions like China, North Korea, Russia, and Cuba with independent journalism.

Together, these networks reach an estimated 427 million people weekly. Rooted in Cold War efforts, they form part of a broader U.S. strategy to promote democracy and counter authoritarianism, alongside entities like USAID—another agency facing Trump’s cuts.