Why Congress Should Tear Down USAGM’s Firewall

Excerpt A global struggle is being waged to shape narratives around critical issues such as the Iran War, the Ukraine War, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and the future of freedom. Unfortunately, the United States is largely sitting out this information conflict. America’s messaging to the world matters because it’s often the only way to reach audiences that disinformation has already captured, namely the closed-society populations that lack access to independent information, and increasingly, open societies besieged with AI-driven disinformation. Fixing this requires action from Congress, not the White House. Only new legislation, not another executive order or more funding alone, can rebuild America’s public diplomacy apparatus into the vital asset America needs. The stakes are high. This messaging shapes whether allies and adversaries believe US commitments are credible. It pushes back against the anti-American propaganda China and Russia spread through their robust global networks, and competes with the Islamic Republic’s stranglehold on media inside Iran—and increasingly in the west. Elizabeth Robbins is a former deputy director of Voice of America and vice president for communications at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. A decorated Army officer, Lt. Col. Robbins culminated her military career as a spokesperson in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.