Trump has listed USAGM as among “elements of the federal bureaucracy that the president has determined are unnecessary” [Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty]
Journalists at Alhurra are facing an uncertain future after the Donald Trump administration froze funding to the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), putting the Arabic-language broadcaster and its staff in crisis.
The funding freeze has sparked concerns among US-funded Middle East Broadcasting Network (MBN) employees, who manage and operate Alhurra and Alhurra Iraq television channels, as well as several Arabic-language radio stations and websites, about their futures.
With over 600 employees, including around 450 in the US, it is now uncertain whether the media organisation can continue operating due to the funding cuts.
The move follows Trump’s executive order on Friday, which labelled USAGM – the federal agency overseeing MBN – as one of several “unnecessary” government bodies.
The next day, hundreds of journalists at Voice of America (VoA), Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and other outlets were placed on leave, disrupting decades-old media platforms traditionally seen as US bids to counter Russian and Chinese influence.
MBN staff received an email from management last week confirming that while Congress had approved funding through the fiscal year, Kari Lake, Trump’s senior advisor at USAGM, later informed them the money had been frozen.
Lake, a vocal Trump supporter and former Arizona news anchor, claimed the funding “no longer effectuates agency priorities”.
MBN management assured its staff that the network would continue operating as normal until the situation became clearer, according to a report by The New Arab’s Arabic language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
MBN President and CEO Jeffrey Gedmin pledged to “fight for the organisation and for American taxpayers”, noting that his decision to remain in office included approval for continued funding.
In September last year, Alhurra was forced to cut 160 jobs and merge its Iraq channel following a 21 percent budget reduction mandated by Congress, Gedmin confirmed at the time.
Journalists at MBN, many of whom are in the US on work visas, are especially vulnerable to the funding freeze.
For some, the role at MBN provided a path to permanent residency, but bureaucratic delays have left many in legal limbo.
While some staff have obtained green cards, others remain on temporary permits or await residency approval, leaving them at risk of deportation or job losses.
According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, some journalists are now exploring legal options to remain in the US, while others are preparing to leave immediately.
MBN’s uncertain future comes as part of a broader pattern of funding cuts under Trump, who has already dismantled key programmes at USAID and the Education Department.
