Voice of America under the leadership of Kari Lake ends deals with major wire services, a move she says will save taxpayers $53 million.
Voice of America (VOA), under new leadership appointed by President Donald Trump, is terminating contracts with The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Kari Lake, a Republican politician and former news anchor herself, announced the decision on social media Thursday, calling the contracts “expensive and unnecessary.” Lake is the Trump administration’s senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA.
Lake estimates the move will save about $53 million. She said that VOA should produce its own news coverage rather than relying on external news providers.
“We should not be paying outside news organizations to tell us what the news is,” Lake said. “With a nearly billion-dollar budget, we should be producing news ourselves. And if that’s not possible, the American taxpayer should demand to know why.”
Typically, news outlets use wire services to supplement coverage, especially in areas without their own reporters.
In an additional post online, Lake said she is currently examining agency spending closely, stating she has discovered “a lot of nonsense that the American taxpayer should not be paying for.”
The move marks one of Lake’s first major actions since her appointment to USAGM, which also supervises other broadcasters such as Radio Free Europe. Her appointment signals a shift in how VOA operates, emphasizing internal content production and cost-cutting measures.
Lake’s selection by Trump has drawn attention due to her outspoken criticism of legacy media. On her X profile, she describes herself as “A Nightmare for the Fake News.” Prior to this appointment, Lake unsuccessfully sought political office—U.S. Senate in 2024 and governor in 2022—in Arizona.
USAGM’s website describes the agency as “a networked global media agency.”
“The six entities that comprise the USAGM complement and reinforce one another in a shared mission vital to U.S. national interests: to inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy,” the agency biography stated. “Together, USAGM entities communicate each week with 427 million people across the globe.”
By Chase Smith
