The Voice of America (VOA) may soon lose its global influence as major changes take effect under the Trump administration.

On Saturday, VOA Director Michael Abramowitz announced via Facebook that he and nearly the entire 1,300-member staff had been placed on leave. This move follows President Trump’s executive order to dismantle VOA’s parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

As a result, several VOA local-language radio stations have ceased news broadcasts, replacing them with music, according to listeners. Senior editors have also been instructed to stop working, raising concerns that the broadcaster’s global news coverage will come to a halt, sources

“The Voice of America has gone silent, at least for now,” said a veteran correspondent.

VOA operates under USAGM, which also oversees networks like Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. These outlets face similar cuts, as contracts with operators have been terminated.

While Trump allies argue that these broadcasters are outdated and inefficient, critics warn that dismantling them weakens U.S. influence, leaving space for rival powers like China to dominate international media.

For decades, the U.S. has funded international news networks to promote accurate reporting and democratic values in regions dominated by state propaganda. USAGM’s legal mission is to “inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.” However, the Trump administration has redefined its role, stating in an internal memo that its primary goal is to “clearly and effectively present the policies of the Trump Administration around the world.”

Trump has appointed conservative media critic Brent Bozell III to lead USAGM, while Kari Lake, a former TV anchor known for denying election results, has been assigned to VOA as a senior adviser. Lake played a key role in announcing the cuts, signing off on emails regarding staff reductions.

Lake later tweeted that the changes were part of Trump’s executive order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, which directs agencies to halt all non-essential operations and minimize staff.

Billionaire Elon Musk previously echoed Trump’s stance, suggesting in February that taxpayer-funded international broadcasters should be shut down entirely. “Nobody listens to them anymore,” Musk posted on X. “It’s just radical left crazy people burning $1B/year of US taxpayer money.”

However, many lawmakers, including Republicans, strongly oppose the move. Representative Young Kim, a California Republican and chair of the House Select Committee on East Asia and the Pacific, warned that eliminating USAGM outlets undermines U.S. interests. “Shutting down Radio Free Asia and other USAGM platforms weakens America’s global leadership and hands more power to China, North Korea, and authoritarian regimes,” Kim told Politico.

The future of VOA and other USAGM networks remains uncertain. Alongside full-time employees placed on leave, contract workers were asked to return their ID badges. Some staff visited VOA offices on Saturday to retrieve their belongings, fearing they would be permanently locked out.

Despite the upheaval, Lake indicated in a recent memo that VOA may continue in a revised form. “Our agency is funded by hardworking American taxpayers, and we must restore their trust while ensuring efficient and honest reporting,” she wrote.

Abramowitz acknowledged in his Facebook post that VOA needed reform but warned that sidelining its workforce undermines its mission, particularly at a time when nations like China, Iran, and Russia are investing heavily in propaganda to discredit the United States.

The American Foreign Service Association has vowed to defend USAGM and its employees, calling their work “indispensable to the agency’s mission.”