Congress moves to kill federal disinformation research funding
H.R. 1233 — To prohibit the obligation or expenditure of Federal funds for disinformation research grants, and for other purposes. · Filed by Thomas Massie (R-KY) · 11 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 12, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
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What it does
This bill prohibits federal agencies from spending money on research grants related to disinformation, cybersecurity trust, and communications authenticity—specifically targeting NSF's Track F program. The bill does not define 'disinformation research' and appears designed to halt federal funding for studies examining false information, election security, and online trust systems.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a blanket prohibition on federal spending for specific research categories. It does not regulate conduct, establish standards, or create alternatives—it simply cuts off funding for existing research programs without stated justification or replacement.
What the text implies
- The bill does not define 'disinformation research,' creating ambiguity about what research is actually prohibited—studies on election security, pandemic misinformation, or foreign interference could all fall under the ban depending on interpretation.
- Terminating NSF Track F eliminates a primary federal funding stream for academic research into how communication systems can be made more trustworthy, shifting that research burden away from public institutions.
- The prohibition may chill academic research into information integrity even outside the named programs, as researchers and institutions may avoid the topic to prevent funding complications.
- No alternative funding mechanism or research priority is established, suggesting the intent is to halt the research entirely rather than redirect it.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Citizens lose access to federally funded research into disinformation, election security, and online trust—research that informs public understanding of information threats and defenses. The bill removes a tool for studying how false information affects democratic processes and public health, without replacing it with alternative safeguards.
Named in the bill
National Science Foundation (NSF), Track F: Trust and Authenticity in Communications Systems, U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Where it stands
11 cosponsors: 11 Republicans.
- Feb 12, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 12, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,140 characters) on Jun 8, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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