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Year: 2025

Appeals court backs VOA overhaul Kari Lake says will ‘modernize’ agency: ‘Huge victory for President Trump’

Appeals court backs VOA overhaul Kari Lake says will ‘modernize’ agency: ‘Huge victory for President Trump’

In a significant legal victory for the Trump administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has granted a stay on a lower court’s order that had mandated the reinstatement of over 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees and the resumption of full broadcasting operations. “This is a huge victory for President Trump and his Article II powers granted in the United States Constitution. It’s also a victory for US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and VOA,” Kari Lake, a USAGM senior advisor to the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital following the court’s decision Saturday. The decision allows the administration to proceed with its efforts to restructure USAGM and its affiliated broadcasters. “We are eager to accomplish President Trump’s America First agenda which has always been to modernize and make our government efficient while cutting waste, fraud, and abuse,” Lake explained to Fox News Digital.  VOICE OF AMERICA RESTORED BY JUDGE AFTER TRUMP DISMANTLED TAXPAYER-FUNDED OUTLET IN MARCH “Now that we have a favorable ruling in the appeals court, we look forward to accomplishing the plan we’ve always had; to bring VOA into the 21st century.” The appeals court’s 2-1 ruling Saturday emphasized the judiciary’s deference to executive authority in matters concerning federal employment and contractual decisions. The court noted that the district court likely lacked jurisdiction to interfere with the administration’s personnel actions and funding decisions, particularly regarding grant agreements with non-federal entities like Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. VOICE OF AMERICA EMPLOYEES FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AFTER PRESIDENT DISMANTLED AGENCY This follows Trump’s March 14 executive order (EO), which aimed to dismantle USAGM operations.  “Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital at the time.  The order led to the administrative leave of approximately 1,300 VOA employees and the termination of numerous contracts, effectively pausing the broadcaster’s activities for the first time in its 83-year history. “Unfortunately, the frivolous litigation actually stalled the ability to streamline archaic practices and redundant programs at VOA,” Lake told Fox News Digital. “The use of lawfare hurt the agency and its employees more than it helped.” Fox News contributor, legal analyst and constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley also shared news of the ruling on X, posting, “The D.C. Circuit just issued a major ruling in favor of the Trump Administration that lifted a stay on the Administration’s decision to terminate contracts and positions at Voice of America.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Saturday’s decision came as VOA employees reportedly had access restored to their computers on Friday after federal Judge Royce Lamberth’s April 22 ruling in favor of the plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction against Trump’s EO, which the administration promptly appealed. The court’s ruling can be read here. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

Texas Gov. Abbott signs $1 billion voucher program into law, capping off win for school choice advocates

Texas Gov. Abbott signs billion voucher program into law, capping off win for school choice advocates

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a school choice bill into law on Saturday that will allocate $1 billion for a voucher program that allows parents to use public funds to pay for their child’s private school tuition. The program’s implementation caps off a yearslong effort by Republicans who have been advocating for school choice. Voucher supporters have long focused on Texas, where previous efforts failed amid resistance from Democrats and rural Republicans. Last month, President Donald Trump called on state lawmakers ahead of a key vote on the bill to finally send the measure to Abbott’s desk. The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2 by a party-line 19-12 vote on April 24 after the state House approved the bill by an 86-63 vote the week before. “When I ran for reelection in 2022, I promised school choice for the families of Texas,” Abbott said before signing the bill at the governor’s mansion. “Today, we deliver on that promise.” LIBERAL SUPREME COURT JUSTICES GRILL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION IN LANDMARK SCHOOL CHOICE CASE Abbott was joined by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, state House Speaker Dustin Burrows, bill author and state Sen. Brandon Creighton, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, school choice advocates and students and their families. “From here forward, [Texas students] will have unlimited potential and unlimited options in education to pursue for the rest of their path and education and what their families do best, and that in of itself was worth the journey,” Creighton said. Texas joins more than 30 other states that already have similar programs. The Lone Star State will have the largest voucher program in the country. School vouchers have been Abbott’s main focus this year, following last year’s election cycle in which he called for Republican primary voters to remove from office GOP lawmakers who voted against a similar bill in the last legislative session that the governor had supported. ‘BAD FOR PARENTS’: SCHOOL CHOICE SUPPORTERS PROTEST EXCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS CHARTER IN SUPREME COURT CASE Supporters of the bill say it will give parents more options by allowing them to take their children out of poor-performing public schools in favor of alternative public or private school choices. “Gone are the days that families are limited to only the schools assigned by government,” Abbott said. “The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that is best for their child.” Democrats and Republicans in rural districts who have criticized the program argue that it will pull financial resources from Texas’ public school students and subsidize the private education of wealthy families. “Let’s be clear: this bill is only best for the richest people in the state, and rural Texas especially will get the shaft,” Texas Democratic Party chairman Kendall Scudder said in a statement. “To top it all off, Abbott’s school shut-downs are in full-swing with no end in sight.” Starting next school year, families can receive $10,000 per year to help pay for their child’s private school tuition or costs for home-schooling and virtual learning programs. Children with disabilities can qualify for as much as $30,000 per year. The program will be capped at $1 billion for the first year and cover up to 90,000 students. But by 2030, it could cost up to $4.5 billion per year. The Associated Press contributed to this report.