A federal watchdog has weighed in on the cuts that silenced Voice of America and its sister radio networks last year, finding the agency overseeing them skipped key steps. The State Department’s inspector general also outlines six fixes, which the US Agency for Global Media has agreed to pursue.
The State Department Office of Inspector General found that USAGM did not apply critical practices when it reduced worldwide operations after Executive Order 14238, according to a report dated September. The report says USAGM could not show it weighed costs and benefits, used reliable data, updated its strategic plan, or planned for its workforce.
The OIG report puts the number at 994 of 1,147 federal employees placed on administrative leave in March 2025.
VOA stopped producing new content in all of its languages in March 2025, and Radio Free Asia halted radio and satellite transmissions by the end of that month. The Office of Cuba Broadcasting was off the air from March 15 to March 26. As of July 2026, VOA and Radio Free Asia were each broadcasting in seven languages, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting was back to broadcasting 24 hours a day.
In September 2025, a federal court blocked USAGM’s planned layoffs of 532 employees. In March, a federal judge ruled that Kari Lake’s tenure as acting CEO was unlawful and voided those layoffs. The OIG report says an appeals court temporarily stayed the return-to-work order on March 31, and 420 employees remained on paid administrative leave as of July 30, 2026.
OIG made six recommendations, including a plan to determine USAGM’s statutory minimum, defined agency goals, a strategic plan, and workforce planning. USAGM concurred with all six, and OIG considers them resolved, pending further action.
USAGM told Congress in July that it plans to expand VOA’s operations, restore Korean programming to FY 2024 levels, and increase Persian programming.
