Keystone-SDA
The U.S. state Department’s Global Engagement center (GEC), tasked with combating foreign disinformation, has officially closed its doors following a congressional decision to cut its funding. This move, heavily criticized by republican lawmakers and tech mogul Elon Musk, marks the end of an eight-year effort to counter misinformation from adversaries like Russia and China.
(Keystone-ATS) The GEC, which had a budget of $61 million and employed around 120 staff, was eliminated after its funding extension was omitted from the last legislative package aimed at preventing a federal budget shutdown. critics, including Musk, labeled the agency as a “government censorship” tool, while GEC officials defended their mission as vital for safeguarding American democracy against foreign interference.