Trump dismantles U.S. Agency for Global Media, places Radio/TV Marti employees on leave

Full-time employees of the U.S. Office of Cuba Broadcasting's Radio and Television Martí were informed on Saturday, March 15, that they were being placed on administrative leave, sources told ADN Cuba. The news comes after a March 14 executive order issued by President Trump, titled "Continuing the Reduction of Federal Bureaucracy," which seeks to reduce federal agencies that the President has deemed unnecessary and bureaucratic.

The executive order, which targets several federal agencies, mandates that non-essential components and functions be eliminated. Those agencies named have been ordered to reduce personnel and operations to a minimum.

Among those agencies impacted is the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Radio and Television Martí a Reagan era agency established to break down the "monopoly on news and information within Cuba" under Castro's communist regime.

The order further requires the head of each affected agency to submit a compliance report within seven days, outlining which functions are legally required and detailing the personnel reductions.

The Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), which oversees Radio and TV Martí, was established by U.S. law, specifically under the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act of 1983, and later expanded under the International Broadcasting Act of 1994.

These laws mandate that the U.S. government provide uncensored news and information to Cuba through OCB. Sources close to the agency said employees had assumed that, due to Radio and Television Martí’s status as a federal agency created by law, it would not be impacted.

As stipulated in Section 107(c) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) can only legally cease operations once the U.S. President determines that a democratically elected government is in power in Cuba and submits this determination to Congress for their approval, the law states.

However, at noon on Saturday, ADNCuba confirmed that all full-time employees of the agency transmitting to Cuba had received the administrative leave letter.

The future of Radio and TV Martí remains uncertain, especially after other agencies, like USAID, saw reductions of up to 83%.  One week before the dismissal notices, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revealed a list of lease cancellations, including the headquarters of Radio and TV Martí in the Jorge Mas Canosa Building in Miami, with a projected savings of $5.32 million.

News in development. Check later for updates.