Employees of Radio Martí will be able to return to their jobs

Federal employees of Radio Televisión Martí will be able to return to their positions this Wednesday, after an unprecedented week of complete operational closure, amid administrative turmoil, mass layoffs, and critical reactions from the Cuban community.

The information was revealed by journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla from the independent outlet Café Fuerte, who accessed the content of an email sent by the Human Resources Department of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), the entity responsible for the station.

The message informed employees about the lifting of access restrictions to the facilities and their immediate return to work.

The resumption of broadcasts, however, has not been confirmed. “I was surprised by an email today, but it’s unclear whether the broadcasts will restart immediately,” declared an employee consulted by Café Fuerte on the condition of anonymity.

The total shutdown of Radio Martí, which took place on March 17, marked an unprecedented event in the 40-year history of the outlet. The measure occurred following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that pushed for the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the organization to which OCB belongs.

About 50 federal employees were placed on paid administrative leave, while around 20 contractors were laid off, effective until March 31. The head of the OCB since 2021, Silvia Rosabal, was officially dismissed, as confirmed by Cancio Isla.

Reactions came quickly. From journalists to opposition activists within Cuba, there was strong criticism of the closure of the station, regarded as a stronghold of free information about the island. A headline from the New York Times captured the political impact with a biting phrase: “Trump did what the Castros could not: take Radio Martí off the air.”

Additionally, employees affiliated with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed a lawsuit in a federal court in New York against USAGM and its advisor Kari Lake, arguing that the closure violates the Constitution of the United States.

Lake, a well-known ally of Trump, justified the closure by describing the agency as “a gigantic rot” and “irremediably broken”.

Radio TV Martí, which operates with an annual budget of 25 million dollars, also faces the cancellation of the lease contract for its headquarters in Doral, Miami, a decision driven by Elon Musk from the Department of Government Efficiency, arguing that it is necessary to reduce expenses.

The temporary closure of Radio Martí sparked criticism and mockery on both sides of the strait

The complete interruption of operations at Radio y Televisión Martí generated a strong wave of reactions within the Cuban community both on the island and abroad.

For many activists, opponents, and political figures in the Cuban-American exile community, the measure represented a warning sign about the weakening of institutional support for the democratic cause in Cuba.

From Washington, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart expressed his concern about the consequences of the closure, but he believed that the decision could be reversible.

Your colleague, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, rejected the closure of the media outlet, highlighting her role in the fight against the Cuban regime's propaganda and the importance of ensuring access to uncensored information.

Organizations such as the Cuban-American National Foundation (FNCA) also expressed their rejection, pointing out that the dismantling of Radio Martí would only benefit the Cuban regime.

From the island, opponents such as José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Unión Patriótica de Cuba (UNPACU), criticized what they deemed a betrayal of the values of freedom of expression, and reminded that the broadcaster has been one of the few sources of news not controlled by the State.

The Damas de Blanco joined this sentiment, publicly asking President Trump to ensure the continuity of the broadcasts.

In contrast, there were mocking expressions from the Cuban government regarding the suspension of operations.

The former spy and leader of the CDR, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo joined the public mockery on social media, sarcastically commenting on the situation. "Ahhh... Now I understand the 'Tick tock, tick tock...' that some haters were writing in the comments... It was because with Marco Rubio, Radio and TV Mentí had their days numbered!" Hernández Nordelo said on his social media in a mocking tone.

On his part, the vice president of UPEC, Francisco Rodríguez Cruz (Paquito de Cuba), shared a sarcastic post in which he referred to the closure as a source of laughter. “Trump's measures increase unemployment by 20% among the ranks of the Cuban counter-revolution…,” said the official, while in another post he mocked the signal outage, holding a radio receiver and wearing a surprised expression.

The dismantling of USAID under the Trump administration

The temporary suspension of Radio Televisión Martí occurred during a period of deep transformations driven by the administration of Donald Trump in his second term, characterized by a direct offensive against foreign democracy support programs funded by the United States.

At the center of these changes is the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who has led a radical restructuring of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Since taking control of the agency, Rubio canceled 83% of USAID programs, which resulted in the termination of over 5,000 contracts and the layoff of the majority of the agency's 10,000 employees. This measure particularly affected independent Cuban organizations and media that received financial support to promote democracy and human rights on the island.

Rubio justified this decision as part of a strategy to align foreign aid with the interests of U.S. foreign policy, denouncing that USAID had become an inefficient "global charity." Trump publicly supported these cuts and criticized the spending allocated to media targeted at the Cuban audience, labeling it as wasteful.

Although the administration recently announced the partial restoration of some programs, it has not been specified whether Radio Martí or related media will be included.

Meanwhile, in Havana, the celebrations for the "defeat" of what they label as "subversive projects" are once again on pause, confirming that the emotional rollercoaster driven by the Trump administration poses a significant challenge for a totalitarian regime that has been in power for 66 years, and whose continued hold on power depends almost exclusively on its ability to navigate the complex international landscape of these times.