The D.C. establishment has been corrupt for decades. It’s only just now being exposed.
That’s why the Trump admin has shuttered an entire agency after discovering its treasonous shadow operations.
Trump Administration Shuts Down Censorship Hub, Champions Free Speech
In a decisive move to protect American liberties, the Trump administration has announced the closure of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), an agency accused of funding and enabling the censorship of conservative voices online. The decision, revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a press release on Wednesday, marks a significant step toward restoring free speech, a cornerstone of American democracy. The GEC, which operated for nearly a decade, has been criticized for its role in stifling dissenting viewpoints under the guise of combating disinformation.
The GEC, established in 2016 under former President Barack Obama, was initially tasked with countering foreign terrorist propaganda. However, its mission drifted far from its original purpose, morphing into a tool for targeting domestic voices, particularly those leaning right. The agency, costing taxpayers over $50 million annually, funneled funds to organizations like the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), a Europe-based group that created “exclusion” lists labeling conservative media outlets as purveyors of false information. These lists were used to pressure online platforms to cut ties with such outlets, choking their revenue streams.
“Under the previous administration, this office, which cost taxpayers more than $50 million per year, spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving,” Rubio said. “This is antithetical to the very [principles] we should be upholding and inconceivable it was taking place in America.” His words resonate with a growing sentiment among Americans who view government overreach as a threat to individual freedoms.
The Trump administration’s decision comes after years of mounting criticism from Republican lawmakers and affected media outlets. The GEC’s activities drew scrutiny for their apparent violation of First Amendment rights, culminating in a 2023 lawsuit filed by The Daily Wire and The Federalist. The suit accused the State Department of funding GDI’s efforts to suppress conservative media, alleging a direct assault on free expression and federal law. The legal action exposed the GEC’s troubling practices, galvanizing calls for its termination.
“By 2020, it had grown into this movement of like actually going after individual American voices,” Rubio said in a Wednesday broadcast interview about the GEC. This shift from countering foreign threats to policing domestic speech alarmed advocates of free speech, who saw the agency as a weaponized arm of the government. Reports also surfaced that the GEC collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security and private groups to monitor social media posts deemed false, flagging them for removal by tech platforms—a practice that many argue crossed constitutional boundaries.
Secretary Rubio's live conversation with @MikeBenzCyber on dismantling the censorship bureaucracy at the State Department https://t.co/D45dpwBr4W
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 16, 2025
The GEC’s demise was sealed in December when Congress, led by principled Republicans, excluded the agency from a spending bill, effectively cutting off its funding. This move reflected an overall push to curb the misuse of taxpayer dollars for programs that undermine American values. The Trump administration’s swift action to shutter the GEC demonstrates a commitment to dismantling bureaucratic structures that prioritize control over liberty.
Rubio emphasized a forward-looking approach, vowing to redirect resources toward promoting pro-American messaging that upholds free speech. “To the extent we’re spending money now, we are going to spend money on messaging,” he said. “It’s going to be pro-American messaging and it’s going to be incentivizing and protecting free speech, which is threatened all over the world.” This vision aligns with the Trump administration’s agenda of restoring trust in institutions by prioritizing transparency and accountability.
The closure of the GEC sends a powerful message: the government has no business silencing its citizens. By targeting conservative voices, the agency betrayed the very principles it was meant to defend. The Trump administration’s decisive action corrects this wrong, reinforcing the idea that open discourse is the antidote to falsehoods. “The best way to counter disinformation is free speech,” Rubio said, encapsulating a truth that resonates with Americans weary of censorship.
This move is likely to energize supporters of the Trump administration, who see it as a fulfillment of promises to protect individual rights against bureaucratic overreach. The GEC’s closure is not just a policy win; it’s a cultural statement, reaffirming that the United States will not tolerate efforts to suppress its people’s voices. As the administration continues to champion free expression, it sets a precedent for other nations grappling with the balance between security and liberty.
Looking ahead, the Trump administration’s focus on pro-American messaging and free speech protection offers a refreshing contrast to the previous era of government-driven censorship. By dismantling the GEC, the administration has taken a solid step toward ensuring that the marketplace of ideas remains open and vibrant. Americans can take heart knowing their government is working to safeguard their right to speak freely, a right that defines the nation’s enduring strength.
Biden’s regime used YOUR tax dollars to censor you. @SecRubio is nuking their propaganda machine—firing the censors, ending the abuse, restoring free speech.
Full breakdown on The Ben Shapiro Show tomorrow. Don’t miss it. pic.twitter.com/5V0KptOZyg
— The Ben Shapiro Show (@BenShapiroShow) April 16, 2025
The Conservative Column will bring you any further breaking Trump administration news.
