RFA puts most of its staff on unpaid leave

The decision also affects other US government- funded media organizations, including Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL).

RFA, which depends entirely on the US federal government budget, will have to cut its staff from more than 300 to about 75 people.

Logo of Radio Free Asia. Photo: X/RFA_Chinese

The funding cut, announced by the Trump administration on March 15, will result in the loss of more than 1,300 VOA employees. For RFA, the majority of the affected employees are full-time employees in the United States. The station will prioritize retaining some employees whose visas depend on employment in the United States. Furloughed employees will continue to have health insurance coverage until at least the end of April.

During an internal meeting on March 19, RFA leadership announced that it would pursue a lawsuit, similar to the one RFE/RL filed on March 18. An internal memo to staff said the leave was temporary, but it was unclear how long it would last.

The Trump administration says this is part of an effort to cut federal spending and reduce the waste of tax dollars on organizations that do not serve the national interest.

White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes stressed that the federal government is more than $36 trillion in debt, and the cuts are intended to help it operate more efficiently.

Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk - one of the advocates of shrinking government - has called for the closure of stations like VOA and RFE/RL, calling them "crazy left-wing" organizations.

Many countries have voiced their support for the closure of the above-mentioned US media agencies, as the main purpose of these newspapers is to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. In its editorial, China's Global Times even praised the closure of VOA, calling it "a factory of lies".

Asked on Monday whether U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio supported the move to dissolve RFA, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce did not specify the top U.S. diplomat's views on the issue but said the use of taxpayer dollars was a "serious matter."

Ngoc Anh (according to WH, Reuters, Yahoo)