The costliness of this Donald Trump debacle is almost beyond calculation

A federal watchdog has concluded that the Trump administration gutted U. S. international broadcasting without first working out what the law required it to keep running. The State Department's Office of Inspector General, which also oversees the U. S. Agency for Global Media, found last month that the agency could not demonstrate it had weighed costs against benefits or secured essential services. It also found 420 employees still on paid leave, at a cost of $3. 2 million every two weeks. The opinion writer, a former Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist and editor, calls the episode a rushed teardown rather than reform, according to MS NOW.

After President Donald Trump's March 14, 2025, order, grants were ended, staff sidelined and contracts canceled. Voice of America went quiet, while other networks scrambled to survive. Radio Free Asia halted fresh programming in half its language services. Lawmakers said in June 2025 that network presidents never met with Kari Lake, the agency's leader, before funding was pulled. Lake replied that meeting people who are suing you is difficult.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →