Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, chairwoman of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee, announced on Thursday that her panel will investigate alleged “gross negligence” and “widespread cronyism” at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which is intended to function as a neutral media organization funded by taxpayers.
This investigation follows President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling several federal agencies, including the USAGM, which oversees Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The executive order stated, “The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.”
The administration has asserted that hundreds of millions of dollars in waste occurred within the agencies being dismantled. The Georgia Republican expressed her desire for a separate inquiry into what she described as a “direct threat to national security” arising from the USAGM.
Greene reached out to Kari Lake, the senior advisor overseeing the USAGM under the Trump administration, as reported by Fox News. In her correspondence, Greene referenced findings from the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence over the past decade, which indicated “gross negligence and intentional defiance of national security protocols, resulting in unfettered and unauthorized access to sensitive information by federal employees.”
She also mentioned that a comprehensive investigation conducted in 2020 by the independent law firm McGuireWoods corroborated whistleblower testimonies regarding significant mismanagement and corruption within the agency. Greene noted that those responsible for the mismanagement were dismissed during the first Trump administration, yet “nearly all” of them were subsequently rehired.
The congresswoman is requesting access to all information related to grant agreements awarded by the Open Technology Fund, settlement agreements involving individuals mentioned in the McGuireWoods report, and any other communications or information that Lake considers pertinent, according to a report by Fox News.
The representative’s office informed Fox News that for years, USAGM has been plagued by widespread cronyism, awarding corrupt contracts to associates and relatives through the Open Technology Fund (OTF), while senior officials neglected security protocols, mishandled sensitive data, and obstructed investigations.
Greene expressed to the outlet that the Biden administration’s choice to rehire those responsible for the mismanagement is an “insult to taxpayers” and poses a “direct threat to national security.”
She stated, “We will not permit the former Biden administration to conceal illegal activities and protect wrongdoers from facing consequences.”
On Friday, the federally-funded Voice of America (VOA) directed its reporters to cease using content from the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and Agence France-Presse following the government’s decision to terminate contracts with these newswire services.
These terminations occurred amid escalating tensions between the White House and traditional media outlets, notably when the Trump administration revoked AP’s access to specific areas of the White House, including the Oval Office.
Lake announced the contract cancellations on Thursday, estimating, according to the AP, that this decision would save taxpayers around $53 million.
“We should not be funding external news organizations to inform us about current events,” Lake stated on X. “With a budget nearing a billion dollars, we ought to be producing our own news. If that is not feasible, American taxpayers deserve an explanation.”
“From top to bottom, this agency is fundamentally flawed and a burden on the American taxpayer—a national security threat to our nation—and irreparably broken.”
