OAN Staff Lillian Mann
3:33 PM – Wednesday, April 1, 2026
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has issued a stay suspending a lower court’s mandate for Voice of America (VOA) employees to return to work, effectively extending a year-long period of paid leave for the organization’s full-time staff.
This appellate intervention creates a distinct legal contradiction. While Congress continues to fund the agency and employees remain on the federal payroll, the administration has barred them from performing their duties.
Notably, the administration’s appeal focuses exclusively on the reinstatement of staff rather than the broader ruling by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, leaving intact the judicial order to cease efforts to dismantle the organization.
Meanwhile, this ongoing legal battle represents the latest development in President Donald Trump’s agenda to restructure or dissolve the government-funded broadcaster — which provides news to international audiences in countries such as Russia, China, and Iran.
A statement issued by The White House, calling the VOA “The Voice of Radical America,” noted that the move was designed to “ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda.”
In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) mandating the restructuring of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the parent organization of VOA, to its absolute minimum presence and functional capacity required by law.
Kari Lake, a close ally of the president and a senior advisor for the USAGM, played a central role in the efforts to dismantle VOA. However, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, challenged these actions — ruling that Lake’s appointment was illegal.
This judicial determination effectively voided all directives Lake had approved, including mass layoffs, culminating in a March 17th ruling that vacated the administration’s previous actions against the broadcaster.
While the USAGM expressed that it was encouraged by the recent appellate stay, claiming it would allow the administration to advance its agenda without disruption during the legal process, a bipartisan coalition in Congress continues to push back.
Some lawmakers have warned that dismantling the agency would allow U.S. adversaries to fill the resulting vacuum with “state-sponsored propaganda,” prompting continued legislative efforts to fund the agency despite the administration’s restructuring goals.
Under Lamberth’s initial ruling, the agency was given until March 23rd to return all full-time staff to work. However, after the government protested that it could reinstate only about 70 employees per week, Lamberth reconsidered and ordered the government to file a status report with a new plan by the end of the day on April 1st.
More than 1,000 employees will remain on administrative leave while the appeals court takes place, a process that could take months. The court order also applies to networks such as Radio Liberty and Middle East Broadcasting Network.
Independent of the judicial proceedings, the agency has initiated a hiring push in recent weeks, seeking reporters for international service contracts rather than reinstating the full-time roles that provide federal benefits.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
