On Wednesday, Congressman Abraham Hamadeh from Arizona welcomed Kari Lake, Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, to Capitol Hill. Lake testified during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing titled “Spies, Lies, and Mismanagement: Examining the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s Downfall.”
Congressman Hamadeh questioned Lake about mismanagement within the Agency and the Trump Administration’s reform plans. He expressed concern over potential infiltration by the Chinese Communist Party into Voice of America and inquired about their access.
Lake stated that firewall language in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) limits management’s ability to prevent biased reporting, allowing more influence from the Chinese Communist Party than U.S. officials.
Lake has been tasked by President Trump with reforming what she described as an “incompetent” agency threatening national security. She thanked Hamadeh for his role in ending Chinese propaganda distribution in House facilities through H.Res.100.
President Trump issued an Executive Order on March 14, 2025, aiming to reduce federal bureaucracy and limit the Agency’s functions.
Lake highlighted issues such as foreign nationals receiving high-level security access through falsified documents and improper suitability determinations. Corrective actions taken by Trump Administration officials were reversed under Biden’s administration, leading to a relapse into previous practices involving falsified records and incomplete background checks.
