Presdient Donald Trump’s Special Adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Kari Lake has announced that Voice of America (VOA) is dropping multiple corporate media outlets.
In a statement, Lake confirmed that VOA is terminating its contracts with The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.
VOA is an international broadcasting state media network, funded by USAGM.
In March 2024, former President Joe Biden requested a budget increase for the 2025 fiscal year to further support the radio network.
However, in a post on X, Lake announced that USAGM will end its “expensive and unnecessary newswire contracts.”
She added that some of the major agreements included “tens of millions of dollars in contracts” with AP News, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.
“USAGM is an American taxpayer funded News Organization with an 83-year history.
“We should not be paying outside news companies to tell us what the news is—with nearly a billion-dollar budget, we should be producing news ourselves,” Lake wrote.
“And if that’s not possible, the American taxpayer should demand to know why.”
I moved today to cancel expensive and unnecessary newswire contracts for US Agency for Global Media, including tens-of-millions of dollars in contracts with The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.
USAGM is an American taxpayer funded News Organization with an…
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 13, 2025
During a meeting with VOA staffers on Friday, employees were reportedly told to “stop using wire service material for their reports.”
Notably, audio, video, and text reports have often been used to supplement coverage from locations where reporters are not present, according to Newsmax.
Lake spoke with Newsmax prior to the official contract cuts.
In an interview, Lake discussed how the agency was finding “a lot of nonsense that the American taxpayer shouldn’t be paying for.”
In an X post regarding the interview, Lake wrote:
“Today, I started the process of terminating the agency’s contracts with the Associated Press, Reuters, & the Agence France-Presse.
“This will save taxpayers about 53 million dollars.
“The purpose of our agency is to tell the American story.
“We don’t need to outsource that responsibility to anyone else.”
I've been in fact-finding mode at the USAGM, & boy, am I finding a lot of nonsense that the American taxpayer shouldn't be paying for.
Today, I started the process of terminating the agency's contracts with the Associated Press, Reuters, & the Agence France-Presse. This will… pic.twitter.com/iYyaPnJ9lD
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 14, 2025
Disputes between the AP and the White House began in February.
It came after the corporate media outlet was revoked press access for refusing to call the Gulf of America by its new name.
On February 21, the AP filed a lawsuit against White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich for injunctive relief.
Lake was sworn in as USAGM’s special adviser on March 3.
She said she’s “looking forward” to serving America and “streamlining” the agency.
The cuts from the agency follow Trump’s push for his second administration to review the government’s wasteful spending.
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