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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
7:17 PM – Friday, March 13, 2026
President Donald Trump moved on Thursday to stabilize the leadership of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), nominating State Department official Sarah B. Rogers to serve as the agency’s Chief Executive Officer.
The nomination comes just days after a federal judge issued a ruling that declared Kari Lake, the former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and a prominent Trump ally, had been leading the agency “illegally.”
“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 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. Last summer, I testified before Congress on the importance of USAGM functions integrating into the Department of State (@StateDept), where we can ensure agency priorities align with U.S. foreign policy and the national interest. I look forward to working with Deputy Secretary Rigas (@DepSecStateMR), a patriotic fighter with experience reducing the size of government, who will serve as Acting CEO. Together, Mike and I, while we wait for Under Secretary Rogers (@UnderSecPD) to be confirmed as USAGM CEO, will root-out corruption at the agency and make it more accountable to American taxpayers,” she posted on X on Thursday.
Lake’s current role is senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), according to CBS News.
The leadership shakeup was triggered by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who ruled on Saturday that Lake’s tenure as “acting” head of the USAGM violated both the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.
Judge Lamberth’s 17-page opinion was a total rebuke of the administration’s management of the agency, which oversees Voice of America (VOA) and other taxpayer-funded international broadcasters. The court’s decision to declare every official action taken by Lake between July and November 2025 as legally “void” reportedly “erases five months of executive governance” from the state’s record.
By ruling these actions void rather than merely voidable, the court has treated her entire administrative output during this window as though it never possessed legal standing, creating a massive vacuum that touches every facet of state operations.
This sweeping invalidation extends most critically to Lake’s aggressive “right-sizing” initiative, an effort described by the Trump administration as a necessary streamlining of government, despite being viewed by the court as a “legally flawed exercise of power.” Consequently, the ruling has triggered the immediate nullification of hundreds of personnel terminations, a move that impacts a staggering workforce estimated at over 1,000 individuals across various state agencies.
This mass reinstatement mandate places the state in an unprecedented administrative and fiscal bind. Agencies must now navigate the logistical nightmare of reintegrating a massive wave of employees into roles that, in many cases, were already restructured or phased out.
Beyond the immediate chaos of staffing, the state also faces a significant looming liability for months of back pay, restored benefits, and potential legal damages. By striking down these dismissals, the court has tried to block the administration’s momentum, forcing a total restoration of the previous bureaucratic status quo and leaving the long-term viability of Lake’s policy agenda in legal limbo.
The judge has since ordered the White House to produce a legal “succession plan,” arguing that the agency could not continue to operate under “de facto” leaders who bypassed Senate confirmation.
Who is Sarah Rogers?
Sarah Rogers currently serves as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy. If confirmed by the Senate, she is expected to hold both positions concurrently, a “dual-hatted” role the State Department says will “strengthen coordination” between American public diplomacy and international broadcasting.
Rogers had reportedly transitioned from a career in private legal practice where she represented organizations such as the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Since joining the State Department in October 2025, she has focused heavily on free speech issues, particularly criticizing Western European nations for what she describes as the “criminalization of language” regarding far-left online content moderation.
While Rogers awaits what is expected to be a contentious Senate confirmation process, the president has designated Michael Rigas to serve as the temporary acting CEO.
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