Nominee Sarah B. Rogers Pledges to Rehire VOA Journalists During Confirmation Hearing
During her confirmation hearing on Thursday, Sarah B. Rogers—President Trump’s nominee to oversee the parent agency of Voice of America—stated that she would bring back many of the journalists placed on paid leave since the early weeks of Mr. Trump’s second term if confirmed by the Senate. Hundreds of Voice of America journalists and support staff have been on paid leave since early 2025, following an executive order signed by Mr. Trump that led to the closure of the news groups. Until March 2025, VOA aired news programs in 49 languages to 360 million people weekly, but it currently broadcasts in fewer than a dozen languages, including Persian, Mandarin, Dari, and Pashto.
Reversal Follows Bipartisan Lawmaker Pushback and Federal Court Rulings
Ms. Rogers’s statement marked a stark reversal of prior efforts to shutter Voice of America and other federally funded news groups, coming after lawmakers voiced months of rare bipartisan opposition to the newsroom cuts. Last year, Kari Lake—a Trump ally appointed to lead the parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media—tried to fire hundreds of VOA journalists and cut funding to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other groups. These directives faced federal court setbacks, with courts eventually declaring Ms. Lake’s appointment and actions as an acting chief executive illegal and void. In March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the government in its attempt to overturn a Federal District Court order requiring the administration to bring back the VOA workers on leave.
Potential Resuscitation of Services in Africa and Latin America
Ms. Rogers indicated that she might pursue a different approach by reinstating services to parts of Africa and investigating a possible return of VOA’s Latin America service. She told lawmakers that the U.S. Agency for Global Media would oversee a careful, tactical resuscitation of resources in parts of Africa, specifically the Sahel region, to counter heavy propaganda campaigns by Russia and China. She also addressed her background as a top public diplomacy official and free-speech advocate at the State Department, noting that if confirmed as the chief executive of the global media agency, she would continue to serve in the State Department.
Promises of Editorial Independence and Protection Against Funding Cuts
During Thursday’s hearing, Ms. Rogers promised to stay clear of meddling in VOA’s editorial decisions, committing to respect the professionalism and independence of international broadcasting. Responding to a question from Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, she stated that the law does not permit her to unilaterally cut funding to government-funded news services simply because they are critical of foreign leaders allied with Mr. Trump. Additionally, lawmakers raised pointed questions regarding her own inflammatory style of communication, which has previously included disparaging remarks about immigrants.
