Kari Lake, the senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), has made headlines with her blunt criticism of the agency, calling it ‘rotten to the core’ during testimony before the House Oversight Committee. Lake, who has aligned with former President Donald Trump’s policies, has vowed to shut down the agency by 2026, in line with Trump’s executive order to reduce its scope to its statutory minimum.
During her testimony, Lake criticized the USAGM for corruption, inefficiency, and foreign influence, arguing that the agency has become a liability for U.S. national interests. She accused the agency of allowing entities like the Chinese Communist Party to exert undue control over U.S. international broadcasting, claiming that the agency’s current structure enables hostile forces to influence its messaging. Lake also called out the agency’s grantees, including Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, and the Open Technology Fund, for resisting oversight and providing limited transparency on financial matters until the last minute.
Many Republicans in the House Oversight Committee echoed Lake’s criticisms, with Rep. Tim Burchett calling the agency a ‘relic’ and suggesting its outdated structure makes it inefficient. Burchett pointed out that the agency’s operations are outdated, comparing its performance to a ‘Model T’ that ‘might be … it looks good, and it brings back old memories, but, dadgum, it’s not very efficient.’ Lake added, ‘It’s a relic,’ agreeing with Burchett’s assessment.
However, Democrats warned that cutting the agency’s budget and staff could weaken U.S. soft power. Rep. Madeleine Dean accused Lake of being a ‘propaganda machine’ for the Trump administration, stating that she had ‘no questions’ for Lake and that she had ‘lost her credibility.’ Dean argued that by reducing the agency to its statutory minimum, Lake risks dismantling a strategic asset vital to U.S. global influence. Rep. Julie Johnson further emphasized that the agency’s role in reaching over 354 million people worldwide cannot be underestimated, warning that layoffs could ‘cede all of our soft power in the world to our adversaries.’
Lake defended the proposed cuts by emphasizing that they align with Trump’s directive to reduce the agency to its statutory minimum. She argued that the USAGM has grown too large and complex, with redundant roles and overlapping functions. For example, she criticized the need for both VOA and Radio Free Asia to provide Mandarin news services, suggesting that the duplication is unnecessary. Lake also pointed out that the agency’s budget—nearly $1 billion annually—far exceeds that of private media companies like iHeartMedia, which operates a national operation for $90 million per year.
Despite the criticism, Lake’s stance appears to have found support among Trump-aligned Republicans. Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., acknowledged the potential risk of cutting staff in hotspots like Iran and North Korea but argued that the agency could ‘do it with a smaller staff.’ Lake responded confidently, stating that the newsroom has already been ‘shrunk down’ to align with Trump’s vision. She concluded her testimony with a call to ‘do this smarter, leaner, and with loyalty to American values,’ signaling a continued push for reform under the Trump administration’s influence.
President Donald Trump weighed in by posting on Truth Social, calling Voice of America a ‘TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER’ and urging Republicans not to ‘vote for its survival.’ His support for Lake’s stance reinforces the administration’s broader effort to reshape the USAGM, aligning it with what Trump described as ‘American values.’ The debate over the agency’s future reflects a deeper ideological divide, with Conservatives advocating for a more streamlined and efficient approach, while Democrats argue that the agency remains a critical tool for U.S. foreign policy and global influence.