Taxpayers Spend $1.6 Million Weekly on Sidelined Voice of America Staff Following Shutdown

More than a year after the Trump administration dismantled Voice of America (VOA), the federal government is continuing to pay an estimated $1.6 million weekly to keep roughly 420 staff members on paid administrative leave. An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed that ongoing legal challenges have prevented projected payroll savings, bringing the annualized expenditure for sidelined personnel to roughly $82.8 million despite the halt of operations at the nation's premier international broadcaster.

According to the watchdog findings, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) failed to properly evaluate how discarding specialized personnel and infrastructure would impact technical capabilities and agency operations. The OIG report noted that USAGM could not verify 99% of documentation tracking the disposal of broadcasting equipment and agency assets. Furthermore, the report warned that the sudden lapse in digital and radio broadcasts caused significant damage to broader strategic U.S. foreign policy priorities and institutional credibility.

The sweeping shutdown originated in March 2025 via an executive order directing USAGM to strip all nonstatutory operations, which the administration framed as curbing unnecessary bureaucracy and alleged political bias. The directive led to 994 of 1,147 federal employees being placed on leave and the termination of 594 contract workers, marking the first complete suspension of uninterrupted VOA broadcasting since the network launched during World War II.

The administrative maneuvers faced severe judicial pushback in March 2026, when U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth declared the dismantling unlawful and ordered over 1,000 employees reinstated. The court determined that officials acted without a coherent plan or regard for statutory duties, leaving the agency trapped in protracted litigation that continues to drain public funds while programming remains frozen.