The U.S. State Department has shuttered its Global Engagement Center (GEC), an office tasked with countering foreign disinformation campaigns allegedly spread by Russia, China, and Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the closure on Wednesday, accusing the agency of infringing on free speech.
“It is the responsibility of every government official to preserve and protect Americans’ freedom of expression,” Rubio said in a statement. He claimed the center had “spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving,” calling such actions “antithetical to the principles we should uphold.”
The GEC, later renamed the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office (R/FIMI), had long been a target of conservative criticism. Republicans accused it of unfairly targeting right-leaning media and social media accounts, particularly during debates over the Russia-Ukraine war. Elon Musk, now overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency, previously labeled it “the worst offender in U.S. government censorship.”
However, the office also had bipartisan supporters, including Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), who argued it played a vital role in exposing foreign influence operations. The GEC had allegedly uncovered Russian disinformation campaigns in Africa and spearheaded an international pact—since removed from State Department websites—to combat foreign propaganda, backed by two dozen nations.
Congress allowed the GEC’s funding and authorization to expire in December 2024, effectively sealing its fate. A current State Department official, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, warned that the closure benefits U.S. adversaries.
“The Kremlin and Chinese Communist Party are cheering today,” the official said. “Our adversaries spread disinformation to divide democracies. This decision leaves America more vulnerable.”
Former State Department spokesman Ned Price criticized Rubio’s move as “a deeply misleading and unserious portrayal of an organization focused on identifying foreign disinformation.”
The closure marks the culmination of a years-long Republican effort to dismantle the office, with Rubio framing it as a victory for free speech. Yet critics argue it weakens U.S. defenses against foreign propaganda—raising questions about how the Biden administration will address disinformation threats moving forward.