President Donald Trump has nominated Sarah B. Rogers to serve as chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency oversees Voice of America and funds international broadcasters like Radio Free Asia. Rogers will be replacing Senior Advisor Kari Lake, who is also a Trump appointee.
The nomination was announced after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth reached a decision in the litigation. He reprimanded Kari Lake following an extended legal battle between her and the company’s employees.
Rogers, a senior State Department official, will replace Lake, who was deemed a “de facto” CEO by the judge, citing serious violations of the law while operating the agency, including conducting mass layoffs.
I am deeply honored by, and grateful for, President Donald J. Trump’s nomination to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media – a role I will hold concurrently with this one if confirmed. I am excited to get started, and look forward to engaging with the Hill.
Truth-telling and…
— Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers (@UnderSecPD) March 13, 2026
The Department of State has broken the news to the Daily Beast, stating that Rogers, who has “long been closely aligned with the Department of State, and the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy has always held consultative authorities with the agency,” will remain in her current position if the nomination is confirmed.
“(We are) grateful to Deputy CEO Kari Lake for her service and leadership at USAGM and for her continued work to modernize, reform, and streamline the agency to ensure it is more accountable to the American people.”
Kari Lake criticized the judge’s ruling in a post on X and announced that Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Rigas will serve as the acting CEO while the nomination is under process. She claimed to be targeted because she has been too good at her job.
“President Trump tasked me with right-sizing USAGM, a taxpayer-funded global media agency. We’ve been so effective over the last year that the Deep State has done everything they can to stop us, including launching malicious lawsuits at me and the agency,” she wrote.
“A rotund DC District Court judge wants me OUT of the agency, but despite his absurd orders and rulings, I remain in the exact same position today as I was before: Deputy CEO — where I am even more determined to finish the job,” Kari Lake added.
President Trump tasked me with right-sizing @USAGM, a taxpayer-funded global media agency. We’ve been so effective over the last year that the Deep State has done everything they can to stop us, including launching malicious lawsuits at me and the agency. A rotund DC District… pic.twitter.com/Mh57FMNJpW
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 12, 2026
Meanwhile, Rogers expressed her gratitude to the president for her nomination and stated that she is ready to take up the dual role. She also vowed to prioritize truth-telling and censorship circumvention, which she claimed “are critical reasons why America continues to fund the media entities housed within USAGM, even in an age of flourishing private-sector media.”
“I am deeply honored by, and grateful for, President Donald J. Trump’s nomination to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media – a role I will hold concurrently with this one if confirmed. I am excited to get started and look forward to engaging with the Hill.”
