WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's reported firing of nearly 600 VOA employees:
“Congress—on a bipartisan basis—has long recognized that Voice of America serves as a ‘consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.’ The Trump Administration’s gutting of Voice of America threatens access to independent media in places where it is needed most. It deeply weakens a critical and cost-effective tool of American influence and soft power. If Voice of America is silenced, PRC and Russian propaganda and lies will fill the void. To add more fuel to the fire, Kari Lake’s recent announcement that the Voice of America will now become a conduit for One America News Network is a gift to Russia and propagandists everywhere.
“Firing respected independent journalists and employees is as strategically shortsighted as it is heartless. The Trump Administration’s efforts to gut and de-fund independent media will only harm the United States in the long run.”
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