More than 1,000 staff members at Voice of America have been placed on administrative leave as the Trump administration moves to unilaterally shut down more federal agencies. The outgoing director at the VOA claims the dismantling of the Cold War-era news outlet will have serious consequences for America’s standing in the world. 

President Trump announced Saturday that he was directing several executive agencies and departments to “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” Among those agencies that were named in the order was the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the parent organization of VOA, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and Radio and TV Marti.