Overview

• Reduction-in-force notices eliminate 532 federal positions across USAGM and Voice of America, with court filings indicating 486 at VOA and 46 at the parent agency.
• U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth blocked the removal of VOA Director Michael Abramowitz and ordered Kari Lake to sit for a deposition by Sept. 15, warning of possible contempt for noncompliance.
• Employee plaintiffs and the VOA union denounced the layoffs as unlawful, saying affected workers have roughly 30 days before pay and benefits end.
• USAGM asserts it will still fulfill its statutory mission, while government lawyers argue the International Broadcasting Act grants broad discretion over service levels and staffing.
• VOA output has been cut from 49 languages to four this year after earlier administrative leaves and contractor firings, curtailing a global reach previously counted in the hundreds of millions.