Chris Deluzio: “I thank the ranking member for yielding time. Madam Chair, I am opposed to this amendment. Put simply, I think it does…”

“I thank the ranking member for yielding time. Madam Chair, I am opposed to this amendment. Put simply, I think it does some pretty bad things, among them making it impossible for the Department of Defense to contract with any organization that might try to identify propaganda from our adversaries. For instance, if a nonprofit wants to say and identify something as Communist Chinese propaganda, under this amendment, the Department of Defense cannot work with that organization in identifying something as propaganda from our adversary. I cannot imagine that is the purpose of this amendment, yet that is exactly what the legislative text does. It goes on to apply, beyond the organizations the gentleman from Texas recognized or acknowledged, to include any entity, any nonprofit that does any of these categories listed in the amendment. It includes fact-checking, rating the credibility of that entity. Again, not banning it, not silencing it, but identifying it. The mere fact of an adversary of ours having propaganda in this country and an organization identifying that propaganda, this amendment would bar the Pentagon from working with it. Now, if my colleagues on the other side want to offer a soft on Communist China amendment, have at it. We are not going to support it. I cannot imagine that is the purpose of this amendment, yet that is exactly what it does. Madam Chair, I urge a more narrow redrafting of this amendment.…”