Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) has introduced HR 5704, a bill titled the Repeal the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2013. The legislation aims to prevent the State Department, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), and their networks from distributing federally funded propaganda within the United States.
Massie stated, “The 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act, legislation that ended a prohibition on the federal government exposing American audiences to its propaganda. I voted against that NDAA, and I offered an amendment to the 2026 NDAA to reinstate the original prohibition, but Speaker Johnson blocked a vote. The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act needs to be repealed. Taxpayer-funded fake news should not be used by the federal government to wage influence campaigns against the American people.”
The proposed bill would repeal the 2013 Smith-Mundt Modernization Act, restoring previous restrictions on domestic propaganda by federal agencies. It would also prevent these agencies from conducting covert online influence operations targeting Americans and require all propaganda materials sent overseas to be archived at the National Archives, with public access delayed by 20 years and proper disclaimers.
Additionally, the bill establishes a process for Members of Congress and accredited media to review such materials without allowing them to be used against Americans.
Representative Scott Perry (R-PA) is an original cosponsor and co-lead of the legislation.
Thomas Massie has represented Kentucky’s 4th district in the U.S. Congress since 2012, succeeding Geoff Davis. He was born in Huntington, West Virginia in 1971 and currently resides in Garrison. Massie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The full text of the bill is available online.
