Voice of America Director Michael Abramowitz has just been fired — not for poor performance, but for refusing a politically motivated demotion to a broadcasting outpost in North Carolina. His termination comes in the middle of an ongoing lawsuit against the Trump administration, and many believe it’s part of a larger effort to dismantle VOA and silence its journalists.

The agency that oversees VOA, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), is now being run by Kari Lake, a MAGA loyalist with no formal appointment as CEO and no confirmed authority under the law. Lake has gutted the agency, slashing more than 1,200 positions and reducing VOA’s multilingual reporting from 49 languages down to just four. Most staff have been placed on paid leave. Despite a judge’s ruling to restore full operations, Lake has deployed only a skeleton crew to maintain appearances.

Abramowitz’s firing appears to violate federal law. A bipartisan law passed in 2021 states that the VOA Director cannot be removed without approval from the International Broadcasting Advisory Board — a board that the Trump administration dissolved and never reconstituted. Abramowitz himself has stated that his removal is illegal and is happening simply because he demanded that the administration follow the law.

This is a dismantling of one of America’s most critical international news institutions — and a direct attack on journalistic independence. With $260 million in taxpayer funding already allocated to VOA this year, Americans deserve transparency, accountability, and lawful leadership.

We call on Congress to investigate the illegal firing of Michael Abramowitz and restore proper oversight of USAGM. We demand that the courts act swiftly to prevent further political purges. And we urge the public to stand up for press freedom, the VOA workforce, and the mission it was created to serve.

Sign now to stop the destruction of Voice of America.

Photo: Getty Images via The Independent