The US State Department announced on Tuesday that it is closing the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an agency that specializes in combating foreign disinformation. The move comes after Congress cut its funding during budget negotiations to avoid a government shutdown.
A crucial mission abandoned
Created in 2016, the GEC was designed to track and counter disinformation orchestrated by rival countries of the United States, notably China and Russia. With an annual budget of $61 million and employing about 120 people, the organization was the only federal agency dedicated to this mission. Its head, James Rubin, recently stressed the importance of its work, in particular in responding to foreign interference campaigns, particularly on sensitive subjects such as the war in Ukraine.
Last June, the GEC deployed a multinational body based in Warsaw to counter Russian disinformation about the conflict. The agency also published an alarming report on the billions of dollars invested by China in spreading propaganda and reducing freedom of expression around the world.
Despite these initiatives, the GEC faced increasing criticism, primarily from Republicans in the House of Representatives. They accused the agency of censorship and surveillance of American citizens. Billionaire Elon Musk, a key supporter of Donald Trump , called it "the worst agent of government censorship" and a "threat to democracy." In 2023, Musk, appointed by Donald Trump to co-chair a government efficiency commission, publicly advocated for drastic budget cuts. He considered the GEC an example of the federal government's manipulation of the media.
The end of a chapter
The closure of the GEC marks a significant shift in U.S. policy to combat foreign disinformation. With its funding cut, U.S. efforts to counter foreign propaganda will need to be refocused. Rubin and other officials have stressed the agency’s critical role in protecting U.S. sovereignty and global freedom of expression.
So far, no alternative has been announced, and the official GEC account on the X network (formerly Twitter) is already inactive. This closure leaves a gap in the American arsenal against disinformation, at a time when foreign interference campaigns are multiplying and gaining in complexity.
