PULSE POINTS
WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge has temporarily suspended the Trump administration’s plan to cut jobs at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), halting the elimination of 532 positions.
WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, acting USAGM CEO Kari Lake, Voice of America employees, and Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers.
WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued late Monday in Washington, D.C., and the cuts were set to take effect Tuesday.
KEY QUOTE: “A wholly overbroad and improper remedy.” — DOJ attorneys
IMPACT: The ruling delays the reduction in force and maintains operations at the U.S. Agency for Global Media while legal challenges are addressed.
IN FULL
U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut 532 jobs at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA). The cuts, which were scheduled to take effect Tuesday, represent the majority of the agency’s remaining full-time staff.
Judge Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, issued the ruling late Monday to preserve the status quo while the court considers a motion from plaintiffs to block the reduction in force. Acting CEO Kari Lake had announced the job cuts last month.
Previously, Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to restore VOA’s programming to meet its statutory mandate to provide reliable news. He also blocked Lake from removing VOA Director Michael Abramowitz and criticized the administration for showing “concerning disrespect” toward the court’s earlier orders.
VOA employees sued to stop the agency’s dismantling, arguing that the planned reductions would undermine the court’s ability to enforce its injunction. “This Court should therefore preserve the status quo while the parties litigate compliance,” their attorneys stated. Meanwhile, Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers argued that halting the cuts would improperly interfere with the agency’s operations, calling it “a wholly overbroad and improper remedy.”
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