The individual appointed by the Trump administration to manage government-funded news platforms, such as Voice of America, spoke to a congressional committee on Wednesday, suggesting a complete overhaul of the current system.
Kari Lake, a former newscaster from Arizona who now aligns with the Republican Party, expressed her view that the U.S. Agency for Global Media is fundamentally flawed, recommending that any functional components be reassigned to the U.S. State Department’s control.
Lake’s appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee came just days after layoff notices were distributed to hundreds of agency and Voice of America employees, resulting in an 85% reduction in staff. The hearing unraveled into a dispute over journalism’s role in extending American influence globally, as lawmakers voiced divergent views.
Following President Donald Trump’s directive, Lake is pushing for a major contraction of the numerous outlets managed by the agency, many of which have already shut down or significantly reduced their operations. She claimed that numerous broadcasts promote liberal bias or are anti-American, highlighting attempts by Chinese government officials in the United States to sway Mandarin content on Radio Free Asia.
Trump endorsed Lake’s stance through a post on Truth Social, criticizing the continuation of Voice of America, describing it as a “TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER” and urging Republicans not to support its preservation.
Lake highlighted a congressionally-mandated firewall that she believes hinders agency management from counteracting biased or rogue reporting. Established in 1994, this firewall prevents U.S. government officials from interfering with independent news reporting.
Meanwhile, VOA director Mike Abramowitz, currently on administrative leave, countered these claims outside the hearing. He stated he has no evidence of rogue journalists disseminating falsehoods and emphasized that any reporting errors are corrected and violators of journalistic standards are disciplined.
Historically, since its inception during World War II, Voice of America’s mission has been to deliver objective news to citizens under oppressive regimes, promoting U.S. interests through “soft power.”
Pennsylvania Democrat U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean expressed skepticism, claiming the true agenda was to dismantle media rather than initiate reform. Abramowitz, through a message to colleagues, conveyed distress over the questioning of VOA employees’ intentions and loyalty.
Democrats highlighted the gap created by closing American outlets, which could be exploited by Russia and China. U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo from Rhode Island underscored the consequent absence of reliable news for millions globally and questioned the wisdom of decisions that aligned with adversarial interests.
Employees from Voice of America’s Persian service were urgently summoned back to work at the onset of the Israel-Iran conflict, only to face layoffs shortly thereafter. Democrats viewed this as a squandered chance to engage with Iranian citizens at a critical point of government vulnerability. Nevertheless, Lake pointed out that a few personnel managed to translate Trump’s speech on military actions into Farsi for radio dissemination.
Lake argued against maintaining extensive newsrooms, noting that freelance journalism presents an alternative, as suggested by U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida.
Some Democrats, including fellow Arizonan Rep. Greg Stanton, criticized Lake personally, citing her past inaccurate statements about her unsuccessful political campaigns in Arizona, describing her as unreliable. Lake dismissed his comments as “complete insanity” and expressed regret for the time lost during the exchange.
Conversely, several Republicans commended Lake’s efforts to revamp the news outlets, though the future viability of these platforms remains uncertain. Lawsuits are ongoing to restore funding and resume services. However, the prolonged silence could further divert audiences to new sources of news consumption.
The original note clarifying the recall of employees from Voice of America’s Persian-language team amidst the Israel-Iran war has been incorporated into this report.