Why It Matters

The US government shut down the FBI's Foreign Malign Influence Task Force, the State Department's Global Engagement Center, and the Foreign Malign Influence Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence over the past year. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that the Foreign Malign Influence Center's functions would be reduced and absorbed into other intelligence components. Meanwhile, documented cases of Chinese government operatives creating fake social media accounts to harass dissidents and spread propaganda, as well as allegations of Beijing support for activist networks, underscore the ongoing threat.

The Hearing

The House Foreign Affairs Committee's South and Central Asia Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled "Trojan Horses: Covert Foreign Malign Influence Operations In America" on September 15. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R) chairs the subcommittee, with Rep. Sydney Kamlager (D-CA) serving as Ranking Member.

Three witnesses are scheduled to testify: Mike Gonzalez from The Heritage Foundation, Matthew Johnson from The Jamestown Foundation, and Sam Lyman from Bitcoin Policy Institute.

Context

Foreign malign influence encompasses any hostile effort by a foreign government to shape U.S. political, military, economic, or other policies through overt or covert means, including attempts to manipulate elections.

The statutory definition under 50 USC 3059 defines foreign malign influence as any hostile effort undertaken by, at the direction of, or on behalf of, or with the substantial support of the government of a covered foreign country to influence, through overt or covert means, the political, military, economic, or other policies or activities of the United States Government or State or local governments, including any election within the United States.

Officers of China's Ministry of Public Security have been accused of creating thousands of fake social media accounts to harass Chinese dissidents, attack critics of the Chinese Communist Party, and spread propaganda designed to divide Americans. As of August 2026, investigations were ongoing into alleged Beijing support for Code Pink activities and connections to broader campus protest networks.

Potential responses to foreign malign influence include working with allies to boycott companies linked to such campaigns, conducting offensive cyber operations and information campaigns to expose adversary corruption and human rights abuses, and imposing costs on governments that employ these techniques. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires agents of foreign principals to register when engaging in political activities or efforts to influence U.S. policy.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna introduced a bipartisan bill on August 24 requiring influencers to disclose payments from foreign governments.

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