In a move that can only be described as long overdue, Secretary of State Marco Rubio just did what most freedom-loving Americans have been dreaming of for years: he shut down a taxpayer-funded censorship machine dressed up as a “foreign information interference” watchdog.
Yep, the so-called Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office—try saying that three times fast—has officially been put out to pasture. Formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC), this Orwellian little pet project of the federal government was burning through more than $50 million a year while playing hall monitor for Americans’ speech. Because nothing screams “democracy” like unelected bureaucrats deciding which ideas are dangerous.
Rubio didn’t mince words in his announcement either. He called out what many of us already suspected: the office wasn’t just going after Russian bots or Chinese propaganda. It was targeting American citizens—yes, the very people it claimed to “serve”—for daring to speak out. Welcome to the modern version of public service: spend a few million, spy on some citizens, slap a noble title on it, and call it Tuesday.
Here’s where it gets fun. According to Rubio, the Biden administration didn’t just accept the congressional shutdown of GEC like responsible adults. Nope. They played dress-up. Same office, same staff, same mission—but with a shiny new name: R/FIMI. Rebranding your unconstitutional censorship unit like it’s a failed breakfast cereal? Bold move, guys. Unfortunately for them, Rubio noticed. And this week, he drove a stake through its heart. His words were plain and final: “Whatever name it goes by, GEC is dead. It will not return.”
That sound you hear? It’s the collective cheer of every American who still thinks the First Amendment means something.
The response from fellow Republicans has been swift and satisfactory. Former Rep. Dan Bishop—now in the Office of Management and Budget—offered a simple yet telling response: “This is the way.” Derrick Van Orden, the no-nonsense congressman from Wisconsin, echoed the sentiment with a crisp “Excellent.” When plain-spoken lawmakers start sounding like Star Wars characters, you know something big just happened.
But here’s the rub: while this is a major win for free speech and accountability, let’s not pretend the swamp is drained just yet. These agencies don’t die easily. They mutate. They migrate. They re-emerge in new forms, with friendlier logos and more sanitized mission statements. One minute, they’re fighting disinformation; the next, they’re “protecting democracy.” Don’t buy it. The playbook doesn’t change—it just gets repackaged for a new fiscal year.
Rubio’s move is a signal. It’s a declaration that business-as-usual in D.C. isn’t going to slide under a Republican watch—not when Americans are paying for their own speech to be stifled. The lesson here? Sunlight works. Oversight matters. And when someone in Washington finally grows a spine, government overreach gets smacked down hard.
So, cheers to Rubio for doing what so many wouldn’t: standing up, calling it what it is, and pulling the plug on a censorship scam that should’ve never existed in the first place. Let this be a warning to every other alphabet soup agency that thinks it can sneak past Congress with a name change and a new letterhead—your time’s up, too.
