Trump tells Congress to 'kill it' as Voice of America faces shutdown

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Congress to shut down the Voice of America, accusing the taxpayer-funded broadcaster of promoting radical leftist views and calling it a "total, leftwing disaster."

In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump intensified his criticism of the Voice of America (VOA), saying it no longer serves its original mission and instead operates as a "Democrat mouthpiece."

"Why would a Republican want Democrat 'mouthpiece,' Voice of America (VOA), to continue?" he wrote. "It’s a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER – No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!"

This marks the second attempt by Trump to dismantle the broadcaster since returning to office. His comments were echoed by Kari Lake, his senior adviser overseeing the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA. Speaking at a Capitol Hill hearing the same day, Lake described VOA as “outrageous,” “deeply corrupt,” and “a serious threat to our national security.”

Calls to dismantle the outlet date back to February, when Elon Musk, then serving as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, posted on X that VOA was "just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching 1 billion U.S. dollars a year of U.S. taxpayer money."

In March, the Trump administration released a statement labelling VOA  as “The Voice of Radical America,” citing what it claimed were instances of “anti-Trump content on social media” and editorial guidelines instructing staff “not to call Hamas and its members terrorists, except when quoting statements.”

Since March, VOA has undergone sweeping layoffs. More than 1,400 employees have reportedly been dismissed, including more than 600 in the latest round of terminations last Friday, leaving the staff count below 200.

Founded in 1942 during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, the Voice of America has historically been supported across the political spectrum as a vehicle for promoting American values and democratic principles abroad.

Its future now faces uncertainty as Congress weighs funding decisions under growing partisan pressure.

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