Almost the entire staff of the Voice of America has been placed on administrative leave.

More than 1.3 thousand employees of the Voice of America radio station (foreign media, recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) were placed on administrative leave. This was announced on March 15 by the company's director, Michael Abramowitz.

"I am deeply saddened that for the first time in 83 years, the legendary Voice of America has fallen silent. This morning I learned that almost the entire staff of the Voice of America, more than 1,300 journalists, producers and support staff, have been placed on administrative leave," Abramowitz said in a message on the social network LinkedIn.

He clarified that he was also sent on vacation along with other employees of the radio station. The director added that Voice of America needs to be reformed and improved so that it can continue to fulfill its mission as a media outlet. In his opinion, the decision to dismiss employees is not correct.

The Fifth Corner: what Trump intends to "clean up" the Pentagon for

Army loyalty is a key element of the 47th U.S. president's strategy

On March 14, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump had signed a decree reducing the functions and work of employees of several agencies to combat bureaucracy, including the Agency for Global Media (USAGM). This agency coordinates the work of US-funded media outlets, including Voice of America and Svoboda./A free Europe."