The Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department unit vital to combating foreign disinformation, will not receive a multi-year extension in the latest National Defense Authorization Act, putting its future operations at risk. It will be.
The next chapter of the GEC, which deals exclusively with foreign influence operations outside the United States, now depends on whether Congress comes up with some form of extension by December 24th, or the United States will They will face potential gaps in their ability to counter disinformation.
In response to the weekend’s disdain for the NDAA, a State Department spokesperson told the Guardian: ”
GEC becomes the latest institutional target for Congressional Republicans, who are increasingly skeptical of the center and other U.S. government agencies for allegedly censoring conservative views. I’m aiming for that. Last year, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee identified the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as the “center” of the government’s social media censorship apparatus.
GEC has helped expose significant disinformation campaigns in Latin America and Moldova, including this year’s complex Russian operation in Africa called the Africa Initiative. The campaign sought to undermine U.S. and Western influence by spreading conspiracy theories about U.S.-funded health care programs through social media, websites, and Telegram channels.
Bipartisan supporters, including Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, had proposed an amendment that would extend the center’s mandate through 2031, but the effort is not final. was not reflected in the final NDAA document.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, has long been vocal about concerns about foreign influence operations through China and Russia. His office did not respond to a request for comment on whether he supports the state’s GEC entering a new era.
Several prominent Republicans, including outgoing House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, have criticized the GEC for allegedly overstepping its mandate. These lawmakers allege that the center, through its relationship with the UK-based Global Disinformation Index, is complicit in labeling conservative media outlets as at high risk of spreading disinformation.
“A victory for free speech and Main Street America!” the House Small Business Committee posted on X on Tuesday. “Closing the State Department’s Global Engagement Center means one less avenue for unelected officials to violate Americans’ First Amendment rights.”
According to the center’s own assessment, countries like China have invested “billions of dollars” in efforts to control information globally through disinformation and propaganda.
