The Director of Voice of America (VOA) and three journalists employed by the broadcaster have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and two of its senior advisors over plans by the Trump administration to reduce the operation’s activities, cut its funding and lay off employees.
The lawsuit is separate from one pursued by employees and unions representing hundreds of VOA journalists that was filed earlier this week, as well as a different but related legal action pursued by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and its executives last week.
The new lawsuit was filed Wednesday morning by VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, journalist Anthony Michael LaBruto and two unnamed journalists who worked as contractors for the agency. It argues an Executive Order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month was unlawful, because it deprives VOA of federal funding needed to operate and skirts laws that were meant to promote separation between the Executive Branch of Government, Congress, VOA and USAGM.
Under federal law, VOA — which broadcasts on radio and television, in dozens of languages, around the world — is tasked with providing “reliable and authoritative source of news” that “represent America, not any single segment of American society.”
But that challenge has been stymied since the Executive Order, which directed USAGM and six other agencies to curb their activities, lay off federal workers and eliminate contracts.
Nearly all of VOA’s 1,300 full-time and part-time employees were affected by the decision, the lawsuit contends, as were 500 contractors — including the two unnamed John Doe plaintiffs — whose working relationships with VOA were severed instantaneously.
The cuts were effectuated by senior advisors Kari Lake and Victor Morales, who are also named defendants in the lawsuit brought on Wednesday and the two others that were filed against USAGM earlier this month.
The three lawsuits share some commonality — namely, that they involve the same defendants, and rest on the principle that only Congress can withhold federal funding or otherwise dissolve America’s external broadcast operations.
Congress has, to date, taken no such action. Instead, officials within the Trump administration have acted unilaterally, and illegally, to disrupt the operation of Voice of America, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and other federally-funded news and information outlets.
The lawsuit filed by Abramowitz and LaBruto on Wednesday request the court to enjoin USAGM, Lake and Morales to reverse orders that suspended most of VOA’s journalists, restore agreements covering the 500 independent contractors, and stop taking other actions that prevent VOA from broadcasting. The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction that, if granted, would immediately reverse many of USAGM’s actions while the case proceeds.
On Wednesday, Abramowitz sent a letter to employees saying the lawsuit filed by him and the three other plaintiffs were intended to supplement the one brought by attorneys representing union-covered VOA employees.
“While I wholeheartedly support the objectives of their lawsuit, I also believe I have a responsibility as director of Voice of America to represent all our employees and stakeholders and to make the best possible case for our agency and its incredible mission,” Abramowitz wrote. “I am grateful to our colleagues who have joined me in this critically important effort. I am speaking for those who cannot be named for fear of retribution from the authoritarian regimes they fled. I know we all stand with them in the firm belief in democracy and all that is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.”
Abramowitz said VOA enjoyed “significant audiences in Iran, China, Venezuela and other countries where the people are actively seeking out alternatives to state-dominated propaganda.” Some state-run media outlets in those countries have praised the dismantling of VOA, which has left audiences with little to watch beyond a 40-second promotional spot that has looped on many VOA stations over the past two weeks.
“By silencing VOA, the U.S. would be giving a huge gift to the ayatollahs and other dictators and rivals. Our enemies are already rejoicing,” Abramowitz wrote. “In Africa and Latin America, shutting down VOA would cede entire continents to America’s adversaries and allow authoritarian regimes to seed anti-American narratives.”
The full letter sent by Michael Abramowitz to VOA employees is below:
Dear VOA Colleagues,
Today, I, alongside several of our Voice of America colleagues, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC. I did so after reluctantly concluding that litigation is the only way to stop the wholesale destruction of VOA, an 83-year-old institution chartered by Congress. We seek to preserve the agency, so VOA can carry out its important mission with the available resources. If there are to be changes, this will allow Congress to weigh in on VOA’s future, and it will allow VOA to play a role in changes sought by the Administration.
This lawsuit complements the lawsuit filed by our colleagues last week in federal court in New York City. While I wholeheartedly support the objectives of their lawsuit, I also believe I have a responsibility as director of Voice of America to represent all our employees and stakeholders and to make the best possible case for our agency and its incredible mission. I am grateful to our colleagues who have joined me in this critically important effort. I am speaking for those who cannot be named for fear of retribution from the authoritarian regimes they fled. I know we all stand with them in the firm belief in democracy and all that is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
Voice of America has always maintained strong bipartisan support. I am sure that there are ways for VOA to improve, and as technology continues to advance, there will always be ways to be more efficient and effective in our work. That said, closing down Voice of America would be an incalculable self-inflicted wound for America and deprive the U.S. of a priceless asset. VOA has significant audiences in Iran, China, Venezuela and other countries where the people are actively seeking out alternatives to state-dominated propaganda. By silencing VOA, the U.S. would be giving a huge gift to the ayatollahs and other dictators and rivals. Our enemies are already rejoicing. In Africa and Latin America, shutting down VOA would cede entire continents to America’s adversaries and allow authoritarian regimes to seed anti-American narratives.
In closing, I want all of you to rest assured that I am working non-stop on your behalf. I am working hard to make the case in the courts, in the media, to Congress, and to our other stakeholders that Voice of America has a vital mission, and that to dismantle it would be the height of folly. As I have said on many occasions, I am privileged to be your leader and have the highest respect for your dedication to fact-based, objective journalism.
With gratitude,
Mike
