Representing a significant shift in U.S. policy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has shut down the final office monitoring foreign disinformation campaigns at the State Department.
The closure marks a decisive victory for free speech advocates who long criticized the Counter-Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office for censoring American conservative voices while costing taxpayers over $50 million annually.
The office, previously known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC), was officially closed on December 23, 2024, as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to dismantle what they view as government censorship mechanisms.
Acting Undersecretary Darren Beattie informed approximately 40 employees of their dismissal as the administration redirected resources away from the controversial program.
Secretary Rubio defended the decision by highlighting the office’s record of targeting Americans rather than foreign adversaries.
“Over the last decade, Americans have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions. That ends today,” Rubio stated.
He added that the office “cost taxpayers more than $50m per year and actively silenced and censored the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving.”
The closure follows an executive order issued by President Trump on “countering censorship and restoring freedom of speech,” which criticized previous government efforts to combat misinformation as infringements on Americans’ constitutional rights.
The administration has consistently maintained that the best defense against disinformation is not government intervention but rather allowing more free speech in the marketplace of ideas.
Meanwhile, critics from the left have predictably condemned the office’s closure. Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen claimed the decision benefits adversaries like Moscow and Beijing.
Former GEC head James Rubin dramatically compared the closure to “unilateral disarmament” against foreign information warfare.
The Obama-era GEC had been defunded after Republicans blocked its budget reauthorization, recognizing concerns about government overreach into speech monitoring.
While the center claimed to develop AI models for detecting deepfakes and exposing foreign disinformation, conservative critics noted it often labeled legitimate American conservative viewpoints as “Russian disinformation,” particularly regarding coverage of the Ukraine conflict.
“This is the functional equivalent of unilateral disarmament. If we remove our defenses against Russian and Chinese information warfare, it’s just to their advantage. That’s called unilateral disarmament,” Rubin claimed.
The State Department’s move aligns with Secretary Rubio’s repeated statements that the best way to counter disinformation is through “a flood of free speech” rather than government censorship.
This approach represents a significant shift from the previous administration’s policies, emphasizing that Americans can discern truth from falsehood without government intervention determining what constitutes “acceptable” speech.
For many Trump supporters and free speech advocates, the closure represents a long-overdue correction to government overreach that had increasingly targeted conservative voices under the guise of fighting foreign influence.
The administration has made it clear that restoring First Amendment protections for all Americans remains a top priority, even as Washington insiders warn of potential foreign exploitation of the information space.
