United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM)

The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is a federal agency of the U.S. government responsible for supervising and funding U.S.-government-sponsored international broadcasters and media initiatives. USAGM was established in its current structure in 1999 as a successor to earlier U.S. public diplomacy and broadcasting bodies, and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building.

USAGM's mission is to provide news, information, and programming to audiences in countries with restricted media environments in support of freedom and democracy. The agency operates and funds outlets broadcasting in numerous languages across multiple formats including radio, television, and digital platforms.

Statutorily, USAGM is led by a Chief Executive Officer appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate, who works with entity heads for component networks. Until 2017, the agency operated under a bipartisan Broadcasting Board of Governors. Since 2017, governance shifted to a single CEO model with an advisory board, a structural change relevant to ongoing debates regarding editorial independence and political influence.

USAGM supervises two federal entities: Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. It funds several non-profit grantees including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Open Technology Fund.

From the start of the Trump administration in 2025, USAGM faced significant institutional disruption. An executive order issued in March 2025 directed that USAGM be dismantled to the maximum extent permitted by law. This order triggered mass furloughs, staff dismissals, contract terminations, and suspension of funding to grantee broadcasters including RFE/RL and Radio Free Asia. Voice of America reduced its daily broadcasts from approximately 50 languages to four: Persian, Mandarin, Dari, and Pashto.

Federal courts intervened in April 2025 when a judge blocked the administration from dismantling Voice of America and other broadcasters, ordering restoration of staff and operations. Subsequent rulings paused large-scale layoffs affecting over 500 employees as likely unlawful. Despite these injunctions, hundreds of employees and contractors were placed on leave or terminated, sparking legal challenges and political controversy. Kari Lake was appointed to lead USAGM during this period.

USAGM operates multilingual broadcast and digital services and supports media-related programs such as the Open Technology Fund's work on internet freedom and circumvention tools for audiences in restricted environments. While USAGM's ownership and legal status as a U.S. government body are public record, questions regarding political influence, editorial independence, and funding adequacy have been recurring themes in congressional oversight and press coverage. Agency budgets and audience reach are publicly reported through congressional and agency documents.

In Armenia, USAGM funds RFE/RL's Armenian Service, which operates the Azatutyun outlet across radio, television, and digital platforms.