A State Department office that uses high-level U.S. intelligence to combat Russian and Chinese information operations abroad faces a possible shutdown at the end of the year, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Its fate is seen as an early sign of the willingness of the second Trump administration and its congressional allies to push back against foreign disinformation plots, which intelligence officials say went into hyperdrive during the 2024 election season, powered in part by artificial intelligence.
The office, known as the Global Engagement Center, has vocal backers including retired Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, the former head of the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command, who says it has been an important tool for stymieing foreign disinformation directed at overseas audiences. But its most acerbic critics include Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X who backed Trump during the election and is now expected to head a commission that would recommend ways to cut government bureaucracy and spending.
Musk alleged last year the center has sought to shape social-media content.
House Republicans also have trained their sights on the center, accusing it of funding organizations that have meddled in domestic politics. The center has more support in the Senate, where a bipartisan push is under way to extend it with strict controls on how it spends its funds.
Barring congressional action, the center will shut down after its current seven-year mandate lapses on Dec. 23.
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“While there were some bright spots with regards to countering foreign malign influence, there didn’t appear to be a meaningful or cohesive strategy,” Lisa Kaplan, founder of Alethea, a technology firm focused on disinformation, said of government efforts in this area. “There’s a lot that needs improving.”
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