Regime officials in China and Russia publicly celebrated a move by the Trump administration in March to place the staff of Voice of America (VOA) on administrative leave and suspend funding for Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe. This effectively silenced the journalism those organizations provided to people living under authoritarian regimes for the first time in decades.
Staff labor unions and journalists at VOA sued on Friday to try to force the Trump administration to reopen the network. Officials at the European Union, meanwhile, are reportedly exploring how to replace U.S. funding to keep Radio Free Europe on the air.
Today’s lawsuit filed by my colleagues alleges the U.S. government’s action to shut down the Voice of America is unlawful and unconstitutional, violates our freedom of speech and usurps Congressional control of the coffers. https://substack.com/home/post/p-159587402
— Steve Herman (@w7voa.journa.host.ap.brid.gy) 2025-03-22T02:49:27.000Z