Kari Lake heads to Capitol Hill after gutting an agency Trump hates
Kari Lake, the staunch Trump ally and senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will tout massive cuts to an agency that's been a target of Republican hostility for years on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Lake's testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee — for a hearing entitled 'Spies, Lies, and Mismanagement: Examining the U.S. Agency for Global Media's Downfall' — is expected to shine a spotlight on her role in President Donald Trump's broader effort to downsize federal bureaucracy, reduce government spending and reprimand media outlets the president views as unfriendly.
Lake announced last week that USAGM eliminated 1,400 positions — an 85 percent cut of the personnel from March, when Trump signed an executive order gutting the agency. Lake said in a memo Friday that 250 employees remain at the agency, which directly oversees Voice of America and funds several other independent broadcast outlets stationed around the world.
USAGM is also clawing back $17 million previously allocated to those stations and redirected to unspecified 'mission support.' In March, Lake announced the agency was terminating its lease in a Washington office building, citing its cost.
Lake said in Friday's memo her testimony to Congress will 'expose the USAGM's record of waste, mismanagement, self-dealing, and national security failures.'
After rising to national prominence on the back of two failed statewide campaigns in Arizona in 2022 and 2024 — in which she aligned herself closely to Trump, including by making false claims denying the results of the 2020 presidential election — Lake reportedly angled for a role overseeing VOA to draw on her experience as a former local news anchor.
Before stepping into her role at USAGM, Lake appeared to make an argument for recasting VOA as a Trump-friendly global media outlet, rather than hollowing out the network.
'We are fighting an information war, and there's no better weapon than the truth, and I believe VOA can be that weapon,' she said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, about a week before she was appointed as a senior adviser to the agency.
But since then, she's executed the dismantling of an agency Republicans, including Trump, have held in contempt dating back to the first Trump administration. During Trump's first term, his nomination of conservative ally Michael Pack to serve as CEO of USAGM was stalled for weeks by Senate Democrats. In being appointed to current her role as senior adviser, Lake has avoided the Senate confirmation process.
Lake's gouging of USAGM allows her to deliver a victory for Trump in his ongoing war with several major mainstream media organizations — which he's greatly accelerated since returning to office. The Trump administration has fought to keep the Associated Press from covering events on White House grounds. The White House has pushed Congress to codify over $1 billion in spending cuts to NPR and PBS, while the president continues to fight legal battles seeking damages for various outlets' coverage of him.
USAGM provides independent news and information to countries around the world, targeted primarily at nations with limited press freedom. The agency dates back to the founding of VOA in 1942 to combat Nazi propaganda. In addition to VOA, the agency oversees or funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and Middle East Broadcast Networks.
'The elimination of VOA's four-dozen language services wiped out the most effective and cost-efficient instrument of American soft power and public diplomacy,' said Steve Herman, a former VOA correspondent who is soon set to helm the University of Mississippi's Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation. 'The loss to American prestige and credibility will be long-lasting and probably incalculable.'
Herman, like nearly the entirety of VOA's staff, was placed on administrative leave ahead of the terminations.
VOA's role in U.S. foreign policy came into stark relief in the wake of the war between Israel and Iran. Staff who worked in VOA's Persian-language service before being placed on leave were called back into work earlier this month to counter the messaging of Iranian state media. Some of those staffers also received termination notices last week, POLITICO previously reported.
USAGM did not respond to a request for comment.
Despite her reputation as one of Trump's most loyal defenders, Lake's political future remains uncertain. She's ruled out another run for office for now in Arizona or in Iowa, where she grew up. But Lake's success in implementing Trump's goals for an agency he's long derided could position her for a bigger role in the administration.
In response to a social media post announcing the cuts at USAGM, the X user DataRepublican, a prominent MAGA poster who had won praise from Elon Musk and others, replied 'Next: Kari Lake for [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] Director Then: Kari Lake for IRS Commissioner Finally: Kari Lake for Fed Chairwoman,' ticking through three agencies reviled by much of the president's base.
Lake replied to the comment with three green checkmarks, signaling her approval for each suggestion.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
33 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Senators launch a weekend of work to meet Trump's deadline for passing his tax and spending cuts
WASHINGTON — The Senate launched a rare weekend session Saturday as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump's package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth deadline. Republicans are using their majorities in Congress to push aside Democratic opposition, but they have run into a series of political and policy setbacks. Not all GOP lawmakers are on board with proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks. The 940-page bill was released shortly before midnight Friday. Senators are expected to grind through the days ahead with procedural vote Saturday to begin considering the legislation, but the timing was uncertain. There would still be a long path ahead, with hours of potentially all-night debate and eventually voting on countless amendments. Senate passage could be days away, and the bill would need to return to the House for a final round of votes before it could reach the White House. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, opened the day's session with an impassioned defense of the package that he said has been misrepresented by its critics. 'Here's what American workers get out of 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' Moreno said as he began outlining the provisions. 'Read it for yourself.' The weekend session could be a make-or-break moment for Trump's party, which has invested much of its political capital on his signature domestic policy plan. Trump is pushing Congress to wrap it up, even as he sometimes gives mixed signals, allowing for more time. At recent events at the White House, including Friday, Trump has admonished the 'grandstanders' among GOP holdouts to fall in line. 'We can get it done,' Trump said in a social media post. 'It will be a wonderful Celebration for our Country.' The legislation is an ambitious but complicated series of GOP priorities. At its core, it would make permanent many of the tax breaks from Trump's first term that would otherwise expire by year's end if Congress fails to act, resulting in a potential tax increase on Americans. The bill would add new breaks, including no taxes on tips, and commit $350 billion to national security, including for Trump's mass deportation agenda. But the spending cuts that Republicans are relying on to offset the lost tax revenues are causing dissent within the GOP ranks. Some lawmakers say the cuts go too far, particularly for people receiving health care through Medicaid. Meanwhile, conservatives, worried about the nation's debt, are pushing for steeper cuts. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he remains concerned about the fundamentals of the package and will not support the procedural motion to begin debate. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., pushing for deeper cuts, said he needed to see the final legislative text. With the narrow Republicans majorities in the House and Senate, leaders need almost every lawmaker on board to ensure passage. The release of that draft had been delayed as the Senate parliamentarian reviewed the bill to ensure it complied with the chamber's strict 'Byrd Rule,' named for the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, It largely bars policy matters from inclusion in budget bills unless a provision can get 60 votes to overcome objections. That would be a tall order in a Senate with a 53-47 GOP edge and Democrats unified against Trump's bill. Republicans suffered a series of setbacks after several proposals were determined to be out of compliance by the chief arbiter of the Senate's rules. One plan would have shifted some food stamp costs from the federal government to the states; a second would have gutted the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But over the past days, Republicans have quickly revised those proposals and reinstated them. The final text includes a proposal for cuts to a Medicaid provider tax that had run into parliamentary objections and opposition from several senators worried about the fate of rural hospitals. The new version extends the start date for those cuts and establishes a $25 billion fund to aid rural hospitals and providers. Most states impose the provider tax as a way to boost federal Medicaid reimbursements. Some Republicans argue that is a scam and should be abolished. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that under the House-passed version of the bill, some 10.9 million more people would go without health care and at least 3 million fewer would qualify for food aid. The CBO has not yet publicly assessed the Senate draft, which proposes steeper reductions. Top income-earners would see about a $12,000 tax cut under the House bill, while the package would cost the poorest Americans $1,600, the CBO said. The Senate included a compromise over the so-called SALT provision, a deduction for state and local taxes that has been a top priority of lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states, but the issue remains unsettled. The current SALT cap is $10,000 a year, and a handful of Republicans wanted to boost it to $40,000 a year. The final draft includes a $40,000 cap, but for five years instead of 10. Many Republican senators say that is still too generous. At least one House GOP holdout, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, had said that would be insufficient. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Republicans dropped the bill 'in the dead of night' and are rushing to finish the bill before the public fully knows what's in it. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent his colleagues home for the weekend with plans to be on call to return to Washington, had said they are 'very close' to finishing up. 'We would still like to meet that July Fourth, self-imposed deadline,' said Johnson, R-La. Johnson and Thune have stayed close to the White House, relying on Trump to pressure holdout lawmakers.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jesse Watters' New Nickname For Zohran Mamdani Makes Him Sound Ridiculously Cool
Fox News host Jesse Watters has unveiled a new nickname for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — and people can't help but notice it makes him sound really, really cool. Over the past few days, the commentator has referred to the progressive rising star as 'Zohran the Destroyer,' or simply 'the destroyer,' multiple times. In a viral screenshot from Thursday's episode of 'Jesse Watters Primetime,' a chyron reads, 'ZOHRAN THE DESTROYER WRECKS DEM PARTY.' The segment touched on angst from some Democrats over Mamdani threatening the status quo. The democratic socialist beat former New York Gov. and accused sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday in a stunning upset. 'What's Zohran the Destroyer got going for him?' Watters asked in a monologue that trashed Mamdani's policy proposals and mocked his supporters. He also called him a 'smooth-talking assassin.' On 'The Five' on Friday, Watters mused, 'Zohran the Destroyer is about to give Karl Marx a woke makeover, if Democrats can't stop him from becoming the next mayor of New York City.' On social media, people joked about how awesome the moniker made Mamdani sound. They're giving him cool nicknames now — pokey pup (@Whatapityonyou) June 27, 2025 Problem? — Austin MacNamara - Gremloe (@gremloe) June 28, 2025 omw to Join the Praetorian Guard of Zohran the Destroyer — Estrie⚢🔆 (@AdorableEstrie) June 28, 2025 I'm sorry @ZohranKMamdani, but I will only be referring to you by your full name from now on: Zohran The Destroyer. — Deliver The Food (@deliverthefred) June 27, 2025 They try to make him sound scary and just make him sound like a hero."Hither came Zohran, black-haired, bright-eyed, sword in hand, a reaver, a billionaire-slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet." — Josiah Hawthorne (@JosiahHawthorne) June 27, 2025 Zohran Mamdani Stuns Andrew Cuomo In NYC Mayoral Primary Marjorie Taylor Greene And Tucker Carlson Offer Surprising Praise For Rising Dem Star Democrats Hope They Can Replicate Zohran Mamdani, Just Without The Socialism
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
This overlooked risk to financial markets usually lurks quietly under the surface. But now it's ‘shouting, not whispering'
Much attention has been focused on the U.S. current account deficit, or the imbalance between imports and export, but there's another metric that's poised to amplify market shocks. That's the net international investment position, according to Kevin Ford, FX and macro strategist at Convera, who likens it to America's financial scorecard with the rest of the world. President Donald Trump's trade war has focused much of Wall Street's attention on the U.S. current account deficit, or the imbalance between imports and exports. But there's another metric worth following that could worsen financial risks. According to Kevin Ford, FX and macro strategist at Convera, the country's net international investment position (NIIP) often gets overlooked. It measures how much the U.S. owns abroad versus how much the world owns in the U.S., he said in a note last week, describing it as America's financial scorecard with the rest of the world. And by that score, the U.S. is in the red by about $26 trillion, or nearly 80% of GDP. 'That means foreign investors hold way more American assets than Americans hold abroad,' Ford added. 'It's a setup that works fine when confidence is high, but in shaky times like 2025, it can become a pressure cooker.' Indeed, times have been shaky. The U.S. Dollar Index is down 10% so far this year as the shock of Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs continues to reverberate, creating doubts about U.S. assets once deemed reliable safe havens. In fact, the dollar's year-to-date plunge is the worst since the U.S. transitioned to a free-floating exchange rate in 1973, effectively ending the post-World War II system of fixed rates under the Bretton Woods agreement. Meanwhile, legislation that would add trillions of dollars to fiscal deficits is advancing in Congress, stirring more anxiety among foreign investors, especially those who hold U.S. debt. Put it all together, and this year has been a textbook example of how a negative NIIP profile can magnify currency turmoil, Ford warned. 'And because so much of the capital propping up the U.S. financial system comes from abroad, even small shifts in sentiment can lead to big outflows,' he added. 'That's a lot of dollars being sold, and fewer being bought, and voilà, the greenback stumbles.' Circling back to the financial scorecard analogy, Ford explained that the problem with focusing on the current account deficit is that it only shows the flow of transactions, i.e. imports versus exports. By contrast, the NIIP shows the overall pile of debts—and ignoring that would be like judging a person's spending habits without checking their credit card balance, he said, making trust 'your most important asset.' 'Yes, trade deficits, interest rates, and Fed signals all play a role, but the NIIP tells you just how exposed the U.S. is when things go sideways,' Ford concluded. 'It's the quiet structural risk lurking under the surface, ready to amplify shocks. And in a year like this, it's been shouting, not whispering.' Waning confidence in the dollar has spurred investors and central banks around the world to load up on gold, which has soared in price in recent years and particularly this year, surging 21% in 2025. Trump's unrelenting pressure on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates has also weakened the dollar lately. While many on Wall Street see even more downside potential ahead for the dollar, the AI boom that's still drawing billions in global investment flows to the U.S. offers some hope for relief. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
