Washington, DC – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today sent a letter to Kari Lake, senior advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), requesting she provide detailed information related to the decision to unilaterally shutter and alter USAGM operations, including withholding of funds to USAGM grantees and the drastic reduction of the USAGM workforce. USAGM and its broadcasters were reaching a record 427 million people weekly before the cuts, delivering objective news to China, Iran, Russia, and other repressive states.   

In a June 25 testimony before the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Lake pledged to share documentation of her evaluation and assessment process that justified the reduction USAGM’s operations to statutory minimums. She has so far failed to do so. 

Text of the letter is below. A PDF copy of the letter can be found here.

Dear Ms. Lake,

Congress requires the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to provide objective and credible information to millions of people in repressive environments. The Voice of America and the other broadcasters and grantees that USAGM supports are critical for countering misinformation and anti-American propaganda and advancing U.S. values and leadership in some of the most truth-starved regions of the world.

During your testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 25, you made clear that the Trump Administration's plan for USAGM is to dismantle, effectively surrendering the global information space to America’s adversaries. This reckless decision comes at a time when authoritarian regimes like China and Russia are ramping up misinformation about the United States and cracking down on independent media and an open, free Internet. You predicated this decision on false narratives and long debunked conspiracies. As part of your opening statement, Chairman Mast noted that you had, “provided binders and binders of information” to justify your actions. However, I understand that you did not leave those binders with the Committee as part of the official hearing record.

In your exchange with Members, furthermore, you committed to providing the Committee with additional information. Specifically, you pledged to Members that you would share documentation of your evaluation and assessment process that led to your decision to reduce USAGM’s operations to statutory minimums. I write today to follow up on your commitment to Members of the Committee and to request the following documentation by July 25, 2025:

1. Written analysis, including meeting minutes, and other documents related to your consultations on and assessments of potential changes prior to March 15, 2025;
2. Emails and other documentation of your meetings with USAGM staff or staff from the broadcasters and entities it supports;
3. The binders of documentation that Chairman Mast said that you provided the Committee; written documentation relevant to the shuttering and altering of USAGM operations, including withholding of funds to USAGM grantees and reduction in workforce plans.