Following a court ruling and an administrative stay, Radio Free Asia (RFA) has delayed laying off more than 280 workers and closing several language services due to delays in receiving funds from the US government.

President and CEO Bay Fang issued the following statement:

“In light of the D.C. Circuit Court’s recent ruling, RFA has decided to delay layoffs of our journalists and staff. While we have thankfully avoided a drastic situation, for RFA to come back in full force, the government must disburse our Congressionally appropriated funds on a timely and consistent basis. As this process drags on, it is clear that China is wasting no time to fill a void left by America’s retreat from the information space in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.”

RFA was established by the with the stated aim of “promoting democratic values and human rights“, and countering the narratives and monopoly on information distribution of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as providing media reports about the North Korean government. It has historically been funded and supervised by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent agency of the United States government.

On March 15, 2025, USAGM imposed a 30-day total freeze on funding to RFA and terminated grants following a directive from the Trump Administration and Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with the intention of making that permanent.

On March 27, Democracy Forward filed suit on behalf of RFA to block the USAGM’s attempt to cancel federal funds appropriated by Congress. On April 4, Radio Free Asia halted radio broadcasts in Mandarin, Tibetan and Lao, and heavily reduced its Burmese, Khmer, Korean and Uyghur language services. In April, it closed down its Lao language service. On May 2, RFA announced it was laying off 280 staff members in the United States and cutting 20 positions overseas.

Photo: RFA