WASHINGTON, DC – Today, following a Politico report that the U.S. State Department is not making use of nearly $80 million allocated by Congress to fight Russian disinformation and terrorist propaganda, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“The Trump Administration has a troubling and unusual pattern of ignoring Russian provocations.  I urge Secretary Tillerson to make countering Russian propaganda a leading priority.  In addition, we have a national security interest in laying bare the lies that ISIS and like-minded groups use to intimidate vulnerable populations and to recruit new fighters into their ranks. The Administration must fully staff and resource these efforts, a failure to do so is an unnecessary hazard to our national security.

“This is a truly whole-of government problem.  That is why Congress has provided authority and funds for the Departments of State and Defense to work together to aggressively counter the tactics of our adversaries.  Unfortunately, if reports are true, the Administration is not making use of the tools at its disposal and we are weaker because of it.  The Administration needs to make full use of these tools, along with the expanded sanctions against Russia enacted today, to send a clear signal to Russia.”