US Layoffs News: Trump to cut over 500 jobs at State-run Voice of America and its parent company amid legal challenges

The latest job cut move from Kari Lake comes one day after a US federal judge blocked her from removing Michael Abramowitz as VOA director of the company.

Legal Challenges

A U.S. District Judge named Royce Lamberth ruled that the US President Donald Trump-led Republican administration had failed to show how it was complying with his orders to restore VOA’s operations.

The order extended a final opportunity to the Trump administration to demonstrate its compliance. “One final opportunity, short of a contempt trial,” according to the agency report.

U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Kari Lake was directed to sit for a deposition by lawyers for agency employees by 15 September 2025.

The ruling, which came on Thursday, directed that Abramowitz cannot be removed without the approval of the majority of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. 

The judge also said that firing Abramowitz will be “plainly contrary to law.”

Full-time government employees layoffs

Kari Lake, in an official statement on social media, said that the agency has started a reduction on the workforce and will be cutting 532 jobs of full-time government employees.

“Will continue to fulfill its statutory mission after this RIF— and will likely improve its ability to function,” said Lake, cited the news agency.

“I look forward to taking additional steps in the coming months to improve the functioning of a very broken agency and make sure America’s voice is heard abroad where it matters most,” according to her official statement.

Lake will reportedly give its colleagues 30 days until their pay and benefits end, according to the group of agency employees who sued to block VOA’s elimination.

“We find Lake’s continued attacks on our agency abhorrent,” they said in a statement, cited by the news agency. “We are looking forward to her deposition to hear whether her plan to dismantle VOA was done with the rigorous review process that Congress requires. So far, we have not seen any evidence of that.”

In June 2025, layoff notices were sent to more than 600 agency employees. According to the agency report, the administration also said that it planned to send RIF notices to 486 VOA employees and 46 other agency employees but intended to retain 158 agency employees and 108 VOA employees.

The court filing also mentions that the media giant had 137 “active employees” and 62 other employees on administrative leave, while VOA had 86 active employees and 512 others on administrative leave.