Fact Check: "Trump's order led to dramatic cuts at USAGM"
What We Know
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, which aimed to eliminate what he deemed unnecessary components of the federal government. This order specifically targeted several agencies, including the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), mandating a reduction of non-statutory functions and personnel to the minimum required by law. The order instructed that the heads of these entities report compliance within seven days and that budget requests inconsistent with the order be rejected (source-3).
Following this executive order, USAGM announced on March 15, 2025, that it would begin implementing measures to comply with the directive. This included placing most affected staff on paid administrative leave and reducing operations to only those functions required by statute (source-2). Kari Lake, a senior advisor at USAGM, emphasized the need for accountability and the elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse within the agency, asserting that the agency was "irretrievably broken" and needed substantial reform (source-2).
Analysis
The claim that Trump's order led to dramatic cuts at USAGM is substantiated by the executive order itself and subsequent actions taken by the agency. The executive order explicitly calls for the reduction of non-statutory functions at USAGM, which aligns with the reported actions of the agency to streamline its operations (source-1, source-3).
Kari Lake's statements regarding the agency's compliance with the executive order and the implications for its workforce further corroborate the claim. The announcement of placing staff on administrative leave and the intention to cut non-essential functions clearly indicates a significant reduction in operations and personnel (source-2).
However, it is important to consider the potential bias in the sources. The USAGM's announcement is from an official agency source, which may present a narrative aligned with the administration's goals. While the executive order is a public document, the framing of the agency's issues as "waste" and "fraud" may reflect a particular political stance. Nonetheless, the factual basis of the cuts is evident from the official actions taken following the order.
Conclusion
The claim that "Trump's order led to dramatic cuts at USAGM" is True. The executive order explicitly mandated reductions at the agency, which were subsequently enacted, resulting in significant operational and personnel cuts. The evidence from both the executive order and USAGM's compliance actions supports this conclusion.
