Voice of America Cuts Contracts With AP, Reuters, and AFP

Voice of America under the leadership of Kari Lake ends deals with major wire services, a move she says will save taxpayers $53 million.

Kari Lake, who leads Voice of America (VOA), speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 21, 2025. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

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.