A federal judge leveled strong criticism at the Trump administration on Wednesday, accusing it of failing to comply with orders to revive the operations of Voice of America (VOA) and to provide clear explanations about the management of this government-run broadcaster. VOA, an entity that delivers news worldwide, has been virtually non-operational since March.
District Judge Royce Lamberth, based in the District of Columbia, has mandated that the administration detail by August 13 how it plans to restore VOA to working condition. This organization, with origins tracing back to World War II, plays a crucial role in disseminating news internationally. Lamberth highlighted the need for the administration to provide a transparent accounting of the $260 million allocated by Congress for VOA’s operations in the current fiscal year.
In June, Kari Lake, designated by Trump to oversee government news agencies, claimed that 85% of the workforce at VOA and its supervising body, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, had been laid off. She described this as a much-needed step to address what she viewed as an “overgrown and unmanageable bureaucracy.”
Judge Lamberth emphasized the established process for rescinding previously allocated funding, noting that congressional approval is required, as seen with recent discussions around NPR and PBS funding. To his knowledge, such a procedure had not been followed regarding the funds for VOA.
The administration was admonished for providing evasive responses and withholding critical information in response to previous court orders.
Without adequate clarification, Lamberth expressed concern that the administration might be aiming to exhaust the fiscal year without utilizing the congressional funds for their designated purposes. He termed such an approach “wasteful” in legal terms.
There was no immediate response from the White House regarding these developments.