Politics

‘She Is Unfazed’: Kari Lake Lays Down The Law At Agency For Global Media

Published

5 days ago

March 28, 2025

Despite swirling reports from mainstream outlets suggesting otherwise, Kari Lake isn’t backing down from her aggressive campaign to streamline the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Instead, insiders say she’s doubling down—quietly executing the Trump team’s strategy to gut the bloated agency and redirect it to its original legal mission.

Lake, a former Arizona journalist-turned-political heavyweight, currently serves as a senior advisor at USAGM after Democrats blocked her formal appointment as director. But that hasn’t stopped her from making waves inside the agency.

“She is unfazed and far more dangerous in this role,” one source familiar with internal operations told The National Pulse, referencing Lake’s ability to carry out her agenda under the radar. “She’s more dangerous in this role,” the source added, pointing to how her unofficial status as senior advisor shields her from the bureaucratic friction a director would face.

Sources say nearly 1,300 of USAGM’s 3,500 employees have already been placed on leave, with hundreds more expected to be shown the door in the coming weeks. Officials from employment unions—AFSCME and AFGE, both tied to the powerful left-leaning AFL-CIO—have been notified of pending layoffs, as required by law. But that hasn’t slowed Lake’s pace.

At the heart of the legal battle is a federal grant to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which was briefly reinstated this month. However, insiders say that move was strategic—designed only to prevent activist judges from issuing restraining orders that would stall Lake’s broader restructuring efforts.

These judges, appointed during the Obama and Biden administrations, have been accused by Trump allies of interfering with the administration’s drive for government efficiency. Temporary orders issued by courts have so far been a hurdle, but the reinstatement of funding appears to have been a calculated move to keep control within Trump’s circle.

Kari Lake speaks with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lake’s critics claim she is politicizing taxpayer-funded media, but her allies argue she’s simply cleaning house. USAGM, originally designed to project accurate U.S. news abroad, has ballooned into a taxpayer-funded behemoth with little accountability and a left-leaning ideological bent, critics say.

In March, Lake terminated contracts with major news wire services—The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse—saving nearly $53 million. She argued that Voice of America, which USAGM oversees along with other media outlets, could produce content in-house, cutting the agency’s reliance on external narratives.

Her moves have enraged union leaders and career bureaucrats who see her approach as both disruptive and unrelenting. But for the Trump team and its allies, this is precisely the point. The agency has long been viewed as a hub for “deep state” operators protected by union power and judicial shield laws.

Lake’s appointment in December 2024 as director of Voice of America set the stage for a dramatic shakeup. While legal pushback temporarily blocked some of her plans, she’s continued pushing forward with buyouts, layoffs, and internal restructuring designed to make USAGM leaner and less ideological.

The significance of her campaign isn’t just about one agency—it’s emblematic of Trump’s second-term blueprint: a government that’s smaller, more efficient, and less captive to entrenched interests.