The Office of Inspector General for the State Department found that the U.S. Agency for Global Media failed to apply key practices when it rapidly reduced operations following a March 2025 presidential executive order.
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 requiring USAGM to eliminate non-statutory components and reduce its statutory functions to the minimum required by law. On March 15, USAGM terminated grantees, placed employees on administrative leave and cancelled contracts in response.
The inspector general found that USAGM did not sufficiently consider the costs and benefits of its reforms, did not use reliable data to inform decisions, did not update its strategic plan with clear goals and did not effectively use an implementation team. Additionally, USAGM did not demonstrate it ensured the agency could continue delivering services or that it considered strategic workforce planning.
USAGM's focus was primarily on laws related to international broadcasting when interpreting the executive order, the inspector general said, but foundational laws and regulations that apply to all federal agencies appeared not to have been considered when making staffing decisions. The reduction in operations diminished USAGM's capacity to fulfill its core statutory mission of informing, engaging and connecting people worldwide in support of freedom and democracy, the report stated. The inspector general also identified declines in accountability and USAGM's cybersecurity program.
The inspector general offered six recommendations concerning USAGM's reduction efforts. Based on USAGM's response to the draft report, the inspector general considers all six recommendations resolved, pending further action.