Statement by plaintiffs in Widakuswara v. Lake

Plaintiffs give an update on their lawsuit to restore VOA

By Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper

November 11, 2025

With the government shutdown over, the clock has started ticking again for USAGM and its effective head, Kari Lake, to respond to Judge Royce Lamberth’s September 29 order demanding they comply with his April preliminary injunction to restore VOA programming and fulfill its statutory mandate.

That order halted Lake’s mass layoffs of journalists and staff, which had been scheduled to take effect on September 30.