Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s government spending bill quietly extends funding for a State Department program accused of backing organizations that suppress conservative news outlets.
Key Facts:
– The State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) would receive an extra year of funding.
– Critics, including reporters Gabe Kaminsky and Matt Taibbi, say the GEC finances groups that block conservative voices.
– Entities like the Global Disinformation Index and NewsGuard have reportedly used GEC funds to target right-of-center media, including Breitbart News.
– A House Small Business Committee report claims the GEC’s activities go beyond its foreign mandate, hitting domestic businesses and conservative outlets.
– House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) must rely on Democrat support to pass the bill before Friday’s funding deadline.
The Rest of The Story:
The bill, which runs over 1,500 pages, slipped in an extension for the GEC, a program at the center of several lawsuits and congressional investigations.
This agency stands accused of aiding efforts to stifle conservative speech through third-party groups that label or blacklist outlets deemed “misinformative.”
Critics argue that these actions, which were meant to counter foreign propaganda, now suppress domestic conservative voices and influence U.S. politics.
Despite disapproval voiced by various GOP members, Speaker Johnson still seems to be pushing the bill forward.
He is leaning on Democrats to gain enough votes and circumvent right-wing objections.
If passed, the measure ensures taxpayer dollars continue flowing into the GEC’s hands for another year, sparking intense debate over whether American taxpayers should fund groups that target their own countrymen’s media outlets.
🚨 We need answers RIGHT NOW as to who included an extension of the Global Engagement Center (GEC) in today’s budget bill@elonmusk refers to GEC as “the worst offender in US government censorship & media manipulation.”
GEC partners with intel agencies to forcibly censor… pic.twitter.com/lrxAhsMObx
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 19, 2024
Commentary:
This funding bill is nothing short of a disgrace, a hulking beast of wasted resources and twisted priorities.
That Republicans would allow the GEC to keep receiving money for censorship efforts is infuriating.
They posture as defenders of free speech yet slip in funding that muzzles conservative voices, revealing their hypocrisy.
Today’s GOP looks more like a part of the uni-party, obsessed with spending that undermines their own base.
It’s good that individuals like Elon Musk and movements like DOGE exist to expose this sham and pressure lawmakers to remember who they serve.
These outsiders keep the heat on, ensuring Americans see just how eager these politicians are to sell out their core principles for a bloated budget.
The Bottom Line:
The bill’s quiet GEC extension illustrates a broken system where free expression takes a backseat to hidden agendas and political deals.
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Americans deserve a government that defends their right to speak freely, not one that helps silence their voices.