A group of labor unions sued the Trump administration today over the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, an independent federal agency that oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty, Radio Free Asia and other outlets.
Former Voice Of America White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, the American Federation of Government Employees, The NewsGuild-CWA and others alleged that the Trump administration violated federal law protecting the freedom of journalists and the separation of powers when it closed the agency. (Some NBC News employees are members of The NewsGuild-CWA.)
The plaintiffs asked the court to return the agency and its employees, contractors, and grantees to their status before Trump signed an order dismantling the agency.
U.S. Agency for Global Media, the agency’s acting director Victor Morales, and adviser for the agency Kari Lake, were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York. A spokesperson for the U.S. Agency for Global Media did not immediately respond to a request for comment tonight.
Unions sue over Trump’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, continued
AFGE National President Everett Kelley, whose union represents Voice Of America employees, said the outlet “was founded to spread the truth and fight propaganda from lawless authoritarian regimes—so it’s no surprise that the Trump administration is trying to dismantle it.”
“This blatant political takeover isn’t just an attack on our members’ jobs—it’s an assault on press freedom, journalistic integrity, and democracy the world over,” Kelley added.