ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish service of the Voice of America (VOA) is hopeful that a judge will overturn United States President Donald Trump’s decision to shut down the media outlet, an employee for the service told Rudaw on Thursday.
“After 83 years of Voice of America's service during times of war and peace, unfortunately, its closure now was an unexpected decision. As employees of the agency, we are deeply concerned. This decision will negatively impact US national security and also affect the Kurds, as the Kurdish service was established by a congressional decision in 1991,” said Rikar Hussein, who worked at VOA.
“Several of us have filed a complaint and are working on responding to the justifications used by the US administration against us. We are optimistic that the court will rule in our favor,” he added.
VOA is a US government-funded international broadcaster that provides news and information in 40 languages worldwide. It was established in 1942 to promote freedom of the press and provide accurate, objective, and comprehensive news on radio, television, and digital platforms. The Kurdish service was launched in 1992 after the First Gulf War.
While VOA was funded by the US government, it was legally required to maintain editorial independence.
On Saturday, VOA employees received an email telling them to cease all work with the broadcaster, and prohibited access to the building and systems. More than 900 full-time employees were put on indefinite leave and 550 contract employees were terminated.
The effective shut down of VOA is part of Trump's drive to slash government spending. Other media agencies have also lost funding, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Alhurra. VOA’s Kurdish service has not published any new content since March 15. Its last report was on Trump’s decision regarding their agency.
The decision has sparked significant controversy within the US, including in Congress where a large number of Democrats are seeking to block it.
“Absolutely terrible. For decades and decades, it has been the voice for democracy and freedom all over the world and I feel like this administration is forgetting that we have spent 80 years developing trust and alliances around the globe and in a mere two months we are destroying that trust,” Becca Balint, a member of the US House of Representatives, told Rudaw. “It’s heartbreaking, it’s infuriating and I think in the long run, it makes us all less safe.”
Two lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration, one by VOA director Michael Abramowtiz and a second by six VOA journalists.
Many are concerned that cuts to agencies like VOA and RFE/RL will leave a void for other countries like China or Russia to fill.
RFE/RL president and CEO Stephen Capus said axing the broadcaster's grant agreement "would be a massive gift to America's enemies,” the BBC reported.
"The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years," he said, according to BBC.
Elon Musk, who is in charge of Trump’s cost-cutting program, said “yes, shut them down” and “nobody listens to them anymore” on X, referring to RFE/RL.
“It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money,” Musk said.
