US closes Biden-era ‘censorship’ organization

(MENAFN) The U.S. government has officially closed the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department agency that Senator Marco Rubio claimed was used during the Biden administration to censor American citizens.

Originally established in 2016 to combat foreign propaganda and disinformation, the GEC later operated under the name Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI). Rubio announced its shutdown on Wednesday, arguing that it spent millions of taxpayer dollars to suppress domestic political voices instead of focusing on foreign threats.

“This agency, which cost over $50 million annually, was used to silence the very Americans it was meant to protect,” Rubio said, calling its actions fundamentally un-American.

In an interview with conservative commentator Mike Benz, Rubio explained that the GEC had shifted from targeting foreign extremists like ISIS and Al-Qaeda to monitoring and labeling U.S. political commentators—such as Ben Shapiro and outlets like The Federalist—as foreign agents.

Congressional Republicans had refused to renew the GEC’s funding in December, effectively dismantling the office, which had a $61 million annual budget and about 120 staff members.

Critics, including Elon Musk and journalist Matt Taibbi, accused the GEC of censoring public debate under the pretense of fighting foreign influence, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans in Congress also previously argued that the agency favored progressive viewpoints while stifling conservative perspectives online.

Rubio stated that this move ends government-backed censorship efforts under the State Department.

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