WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced on Wednesday that their Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act – legislation designed to help American allies counter foreign government propaganda from Russia, China, and other nations – has been included as part of the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Report. The bipartisan bill, which Murphy and Portman introduced in March, will improve the ability of the United States to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation by establishing an interagency center housed at the State Department to coordinate and synchronize counter-propaganda efforts throughout the U.S. government.

To support these efforts, the bill also creates a grant program for NGOs, think tanks, civil society and other experts outside government who are engaged in counter-propaganda related work. This will better leverage existing expertise and empowering local communities to defend themselves from foreign manipulation.

“Over the last decade, countries like Russia have dramatically ramped up efforts to spread propaganda and fake news all over the world, including here in the United States. It is a systematic effort to undermine democratic institutions and beat back America’s foreign policy goals,” said Murphy. “I believe this measure will put us in a stronger position to meet this challenge head on and get the truth out. I was lucky to have Senator Portman as my partner in this effort, and am optimistic that our measure’s inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act shows we’re serious about adapting to new threats in a changing world.”

“This propaganda and disinformation threat is real, it’s growing, and right now the U.S. government is asleep at the wheel.  The U.S. and our allies face many challenges, but we must better counter and combat the extensive propaganda and disinformation operations directed against us,” said Portman. “America’s democratic values and open, transparent society are a key source of our identity as a nation and one of our greatest advantages against the propaganda and disinformation used to discredit them. It’s long past time for the U.S. to get off the sidelines and confront this threat, and I look forward to this bipartisan bill becoming law.”

The bipartisan Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act is organized around two main priorities to help achieve the goal of combatting the constantly evolving nature of the threat of foreign disinformation. They are as follows:

  • The first priority is developing a whole-of-government strategy for countering foreign propaganda and disinformation. The bill would increase the authority, resources, and mandate of the Global Engagement Center to include state actors like Russia and China in addition to violent extremists. The Center will be led by the State Department, but with the active senior level participation of the Department of Defense, USAID, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the Intelligence Community, and other relevant agencies. The Center will develop, integrate, and synchronize whole-of-government initiatives to expose and counter foreign disinformation operations and proactively advance fact-based narratives that support U.S. allies and interests.
  • Second, the legislation seeks to leverage expertise from outside government to create more adaptive and responsive U.S. strategy options. The legislation establishes a fund to help train local journalists and provide grants and contracts to NGOs, civil society organizations, think tanks, private sector companies, media organizations, and other experts outside the U.S. government with experience in identifying and analyzing the latest trends in foreign government disinformation techniques. This fund will complement and support the Center’s role by integrating capabilities and expertise available outside the U.S. government into the strategy-making process. It will also empower a decentralized network of private sector experts and integrating their expertise into the strategy-making process.

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