President Donald Trump has pulled the plug on Radio Free Asia, cutting off its federal funding and putting more than 200 U.S.-based employees on unpaid leave. The move is part of a broader effort to dismantle taxpayer-funded media operations that have long served as tools for globalist narratives and leftist propaganda.
Founded in 1996, Radio Free Asia was entirely dependent on U.S. government funding, and now, with Trump shutting off the money flow, its workforce will shrink from over 300 to just 75. The outlet has already announced plans to take legal action against the Trump administration, arguing that the funding cut is “unlawful.” But as Trump has made clear, these so-called independent broadcasters have been anything but neutral, using taxpayer money to push an agenda that has done little to advance American interests abroad.
The administration’s decision didn’t stop at Radio Free Asia. The same fate has hit Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which are also hemorrhaging staff due to the funding freeze. Voice of America, which had been bloated with 1,300 government-funded journalists, is now facing a dramatic downsizing.
Acting head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Kari Lake delivered a brutal assessment of these taxpayer-funded media operations, calling them “not salvageable” and labeling them tools of partisan influence. Lake made it clear that years of leftist activism and bureaucratic entrenchment made these agencies impossible to reform. Her remarks expose what conservatives have long known: these media outlets have been hijacked to serve the interests of Washington elites rather than America’s standing in the world.
Radio Free Asia’s leadership is in full panic mode, with CEO Bay Fang claiming the funding cut “violates the U.S. Constitution” and other federal statutes. The White House isn’t buying it. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes defended the move, pointing out that the U.S. government is $36 trillion in debt and that Trump is making government more efficient.
Trump’s executive order from March 14 explicitly directs the USAGM and six other agencies to reduce operations to only what’s legally required. The days of endless taxpayer dollars being funneled into globalist media machines are over. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has already launched its own legal challenge, but with Trump at the helm, it’s clear these institutions will no longer operate as unaccountable money pits for anti-American narratives.
This is yet another sign that Trump is serious about reshaping the federal government and cutting off wasteful spending that has gone unchecked for decades. The globalist media won’t like it, but the American people know exactly why this move is necessary.
