WASHINGTON: Several employees at Voice of America (VOA) were placed on paid administrative leave on Saturday following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The order significantly reduces the operations of VOA’s parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), along with six other federal agencies.
According to multiple VOA staff members who spoke with Reuters, they received emails from a human resources executive at USAGM informing them of their administrative leave. The emails stated that they would continue to receive full pay and benefits “until further notice” but were instructed not to enter their workplace or access internal systems.
VOA, an international media broadcaster that operates in over 40 languages, is one of the entities affected by the executive order. The directive also targets six other agencies: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Inter-agency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency.
President Trump’s order mandates these agencies to scale back their operations to the bare minimum, citing the need to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies. The move has sparked concerns among employees and observers about the potential impact on the services and programs these organizations provide.
The executive order is part of the administration’s broader efforts to streamline federal operations, though critics argue it could undermine the critical roles these agencies play in areas such as media, cultural preservation, and economic development.
As the situation unfolds, employees at VOA and the other affected agencies await further instructions while remaining on paid leave. The long-term implications of the order remain uncertain, but it has already caused significant disruption within these organizations.
