A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to shut down Voice of America and its US Agency for Global Media sister networks, issuing a restraining order that halts terminations and raises constitutional questions about executive overreach.
A March 15 directive from President Trump called for the elimination of all non-legally required operations for USAGM.
US District Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled Friday that the administration cannot unilaterally dismantle Voice of America and its sister programs, which are funded through congressional appropriations. In his decision, Oetken said that eliminating the broadcasts and terminating staff without congressional approval would be a violation of the law.
The judge’s temporary restraining order does not require VOA to resume programming immediately, but it prohibits the administration from firing employees until further legal proceedings determine whether the shutdown effort was “arbitrary and capricious” in violation of federal statutes.
Court documents show that USAGM had planned to terminate at least 623 Voice of America employees – effectively preventing the agency from maintaining operations at the level authorized by Congress. Earlier this month, most VOA employees were placed on administrative leave, and broadcast operations were largely suspended.