Employees under the U.S. Agency for Global Media received a new “Fork in the Road” email Friday afternoon, shortly before Voice of America journalists suing the agency won an order temporarily blocking USAGM’s attempts to shutter the news outlet.
The email, seen by POLITICO, originated from a USAGM human resources account and offered employees an “opportunity” to “voluntarily transition out of federal service through the Deferred Resignation Program,” set to be available from Friday through April 9.
Kari Lake — an ally of President Donald Trump serving as a senior official at the agency — and USAGM have faced an onslaught of legal challenges in recent weeks. Employees working for news outlets or technology programs funded or controlled by the agency — including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and The Open Technology Fund — have all sought to block USAGM from gutting their operations.