Defund the Ministry of Truth Act of 2022
Bill: S.4164 | Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand (R-KY)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Defund the Ministry of Truth Act of 2022
This bill prohibits the expenditure of federal funds for the establishment or operation of the Disinformation Governance Board in the Department of Homeland Security.

To prohibit the expenditure of Federal funds for the establishment or 
 operation of the Disinformation Governance Board in the Department of 
                           Homeland Security.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Defund the Ministry of Truth Act of 
2022''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Federal Government is not the sole arbiter of truth 
        in a free society.
            (2) Efforts by the Federal Government to censor dissenting 
        voices is a violation of the First Amendment rights of the 
        American people.
            (3) Efforts by the Federal Government to label or 
        categorize speech as misinformation, disinformation, or 
        malinformation does not lessen or vitiate the First Amendment 
        rights of the American people.
            (4) The Federal Government is itself prolific in the 
        dissemination of misinformation, disinformation, and 
        malinformation.
            (5) George Orwell's novel, 1984, which was originally 
        published in 1949, was a cautionary tale and a warning to 
        future generations and was not intended to be an instruction 
        manual for government repression.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE DISINFORMATION 
              GOVERNANCE BOARD.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funding may 
be expended for the establishment or operation of the Department of 
Homeland Security Disinformation Governance Board or any successor 
entity to the Disinformation Governance Board.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO THE HOMELAND SECURITY ACT OF 2002.

    Section 2202(i) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
652(i)) is amended--
            (1) in the subsection heading by inserting ``Provisions'' 
        after ``savings'';
            (2) by striking ``may be construed as affecting'' and 
        inserting the following: ``may be construed as--
            ``(1) affecting'';
            (3) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
        or''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) authorizing the establishment of any misinformation, 
        disinformation, or malinformation working group, disinformation 
        governance board, or any similar entity within the Department 
        of Homeland Security (or any component thereof) unless such 
        entity is explicitly authorized by an Act of Congress that is 
        enacted after the date of the enactment of the Defund the 
        Ministry of Truth Act of 2022.''.
                                                       Calendar No. 365

117th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 4164

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