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Judge Halts USAGM Layoffs After Rebuke Over VOA Compliance

The judge warned of possible contempt over the agency’s failure to present a compliance plan.

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Kari Lake, Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, speaks during a memorial and prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth blocked a planned reduction in force that would have eliminated 532 full‑time positions, preserving the workforce while litigation continues.
  • The order keeps staffing in place as the court supervises compliance, with USAGM directed to file a plan by Oct. 14 showing how it will meet legal programming obligations.
  • Lamberth said the defendants showed "concerning disrespect" for prior directives and wrote that their conduct could support civil contempt, though he declined to initiate proceedings without a request from plaintiffs.
  • The court found the agency lacks a plan to comply with an April injunction requiring restoration of VOA programming to its statutory mandate and previously barred removal of VOA Director Michael Abramowitz.
  • Coverage and funding pressures frame the dispute, as VOA broadcasts were shut down in March under a Trump executive order and Congress has mandated $260 million of USAGM’s $875 million budget be spent by VOA.