Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Joaquin Castro, D-Texas are calling on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to explain why his office has not spent the $120 million allocated by Congress to counter foreign propaganda attempts designed to influence elections and undermine democracies.
In a letter to Tillerson, the two congressmen express "deep concern" about why the money has not be used.
They said the National Defense Authorization Act enabled the Global Engagement Center at the State Department to lead U.S. efforts to "identity, expose and counter foreign state disinformation efforts aimed undermining U.S. national security interests."
"Congress also authorized the transfer of $120 million from the Department of Defense to support the GEC's work," the letter said.
The congressmen also noted a New York Times story detailing how the State Department has failed to spend any of the money.
"From Russia's actions in Ukraine to the interference in the United States' election and those of our allies, foreign disinformation campaigns do more than simply spread anti-Western sentiment," Lieu and Castro wrote.
"Such campaigns manipulate public perception to change the facts on the ground, subvert democracy and undermine U.S. interests.
"We therefore request an immediate explanation from the State Department as to why the agency has failed to fully implement the law and spent authorized funding for the GEC."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.