Last Friday, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive order aimed at dismantling seven federal agencies, including the one that oversees Voice of America and other government-funded media. Through this action, the goal is to reduce the presence and reach of these government agencies.
In addition to Voice of America, the Global Media Agency also funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. This organization has a budget of approximately 270 million dollars, more than 2,000 employees, broadcasts content in 49 different languages, and has an estimated weekly audience of over 361 million people, according to The New York Times.
Trump has been very critical of this agency since his first term, expressing his dissatisfaction with its operation. Among the other agencies affected by this order are the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council, among others.
In the signed executive order, the president urges agency heads to eliminate all functions that are not legally established, in addition to reducing staff and related tasks to the minimum required by law. This measure is part of Trump’s strategy to decrease federal bureaucracy deemed unnecessary.
