Issa: The Biden State Department's Global Engagement Center Needs to Justify its Existence.
Washington – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) has submitted questions for the record (QFRs) to obtain necessary information following last week’s House Foreign Affairs Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee hearing examining the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC). This was highlighted in an exclusive feature in the Washington Examiner.
“The GEC didn’t make much of a case for its budget, especially given its unapologetic support for censorship of American citizens,” said Rep. Issa. “These questions show just how much more it has to answer for.”
Upon receiving incomplete and insufficient testimony during the hearing from GEC Acting Coordinator Daniel Kimmage, Rep. Issa is submitting these QFRs in a good-faith effort to better determine the GEC's effectiveness and impact.
An excerpt of Rep. Issa’s QFR:
Overall Effectiveness
- What metrics does the GEC use to determine the effectiveness of its work?
- Can you list the category of activities the GEC conducts?
- What percentage of GEC resources are devoted to each?
Role in the Federal Government
- What is the total number of employees working at the GEC – including appointees and detailees – and is there an organizational chart the GEC will provide for the review of this committee?
- The GEC’s mission is to coordinate U.S. information response throughout the U.S. government. Does the GEC find that in practice other agencies take its direction and widely use/refer to its published materials?
- What functions does the GEC provide in the information operations space that are not provided by other elements of the U.S. government?
The full QFR document can be found here.