USAGM must immediately restore VOA staff... [and] ensure that its Persian-language broadcasters have every resource needed.
Call on the Trump Administration and USAGM to restore VOA Persian and Radio Farda operations and provide the staff, transmission capabilities, funding, and censorship-circumvention resources needed to broadcast to Iran.
Occurrences
Evidence
Blumenthal's office said he urged USAGM's Acting CEO to provide VOA Persian and Radio Farda with staff and resources needed to resume independent news and open debate in Iran.
The letter says USAGM must restore VOA staff and ensure Persian-language broadcasters have resources to gather information, provide safety information, and bypass censorship.
Blumenthal asked whether VOA Persian and Radio Farda had shortwave, medium-wave, and satellite transmission capability receivable in Iran, online access, circumvention tools, staffing, and restored grant funding.
Assessments
The promise was framed as an oversight action: to call on the Trump Administration and USAGM to restore VOA Persian and Radio Farda operations and provide staffing, transmission, funding, and censorship-circumvention resources. The March 18, 2026 Blumenthal letter and related Senate release show he directly demanded those actions from USAGM during his current Senate term, with specific questions covering the promised resource categories. Because the promised action was the call/demand itself rather than proof that USAGM completed the restoration, this counts as delivered in the same term.