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Instead of the big game, DOGE leader Elon Musk was focused on U.S. government-funded media. He backed Trump ally Richard Grenell’s call to shut down VOA and Radio Free Europe, replying on X: “Yes, shut them down.” Kari Lake, Trump’s nominee for VOA Director, responded, advocating for keeping them open but making them pro-American.
Lake strongly denied liberal media fears that she would turn VOA into “Trump TV,” clarifying that even President Donald Trump wants it to present a fair and accurate portrayal of America — the real Voice of America. To further shake up the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Trump also nominated a fierce conservative media watchdog and Media Research Center President Brent Bozell to lead the USAGM, the parent agency of the Voice of America and other taxpayer-funded international broadcasters.
With an annual budget of nearly $1 billion, USAGM has rightfully caught Musk’s attention. Despite then-President Joe Biden’s $950 million budget proposal for these media outlets in 2025, most Americans remain unaware of VOA’s role. Outside the U.S., however, VOA is a widely recognized international broadcaster, reaching a weekly audience of 354 million people in 49 languages.
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Its reach is so extensive that it makes America’s largest domestic radio and TV networks “look like small fry,” according to The Guardian. The real concern is that VOA often spreads anti-American narratives instead of promoting U.S. values. The left fears losing a well-funded, poorly monitored and highly influential tools for criticizing American values globally.
Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)
Founded in 1942 during World War II, Voice of America aimed to communicate U.S. policies and counter enemy propaganda. Joined by Radio Free Europe in 1950 and four other federally owned outlets, they played a key role in shaping global perceptions through WWII, the Korean War and the Cold War, until the Soviet Union’s collapse.
However, on April 30, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the International Broadcasting Act, establishing the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to oversee non-military international broadcasting.
Since then, concerns have risen about some programs favoring adversarial regimes like Iran, China, Russia and Cuba. In May 2020, Trump State Department’s Iran envoy, Brian Hook, criticized VOA in a New York Post article titled “Why Are U.S. Taxpayers Funding a ‘Voice of the Mullahs’ in Iran?” accusing it of promoting hostile regime narratives over American interests.
The campaign to reform VOA began in 2006, led by then-Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn. Coburn invited to testify about how U.S. taxpayer-funded broadcasts to Iran were undermining U.S. policy and proving ineffective.
In a letter to then-President George W. Bush, Coburn credited me as the initiator of efforts to reform VOA and Radio Farda, arguing that these media outlets “may actually be harming American interests rather than helping.” A report commissioned by the State Department and National Security Council mirrored my testimony, despite resistance from VOA insiders.
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I became involved in this issue shortly after escaping Evin Prison and fleeing Iran with the help of Bush’s administration. Having endured over five years of torture, I was recognized by Amnesty International as the first known victim of “white torture” in Iran. Before leaving Iran, I briefly watched VOA, shocked by their respect for the Islamic regime and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), downplaying brutality while promoting internal reform. In my testimony, I urged VOA to stop misleading Iranians with so-called balanced reporting.
Under President Barack Obama, Coburn continued his campaign to reform VOA, leveraging his strong relationship with the president. He successfully helped appoint eight new BBG members — equally split between Republicans and Democrats.
Another potential target for cuts is the U.S. Agency for Global Media. In addition to Voice of America, the USAGM is made up of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Open Technology Fund. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images)
On April 6, 2011, I testified again before a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee titled: “Is America’s Overseas Broadcasting Undermining our National Interest and the Fight Against Tyrannical Regimes?”, alongside BBG governors and John Lenczowski, the founder of The Institute of World Politics, where I was a research fellow and visiting lecturer.
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Despite initial hopes that new leadership at BBG and VOA would resolve the issues, corruption persisted. Coburn’s illness prevented him from completing his efforts, and after the resignation of the VOA Persian service director and some BBG members, VOA returned to its usual anti-American bias.
USAGM has 4,000 employees and 1,500 stringers, including over 2,000 at VOA, many of whom are bureaucrats shielded by union protections. The most effective way to bypass these obstacles is to shut down these corrupt services. Dissolving VOA and Radio Farda would remove taxpayer-funded platforms for far-left activists pushing anti-American, anti-Israel, and pro-China, pro-Russia, and pro-Iranian Mullah agendas. These services could then be rebuilt with a leaner, dedicated team of pro-American journalists, ensuring VOA truly represents America — a key step in Trump’s strategy to counter adversaries without military intervention.
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