State Department says it ended unit tied to labeling U.S. voices, pledges public documentation

The secretary of state announced in a broadcast interview that the U.S. Department of State has ended what he described as a government-sponsored effort that had, over time, labeled and helped deplatform American political voices.

The secretary said the effort began 10 to 15 years ago to counter online messaging from extremist groups, then expanded after 2016 to address foreign interference, and by 2020 had grown into efforts targeting individual American speakers. "They were literally tagging and labeling voices in American politics," he said, naming "Ben Shapiro, the Federalist, others" as examples of labeled entities.

The secretary characterized those practices as unacceptable and said the department has disbanded the unit, renamed and moved its functions and cut funding tied to the program. "We ended government sponsored, censorship in The United States through the state department," he said. He added that remaining spending will support what he described as "pro‑American messaging" and efforts…