Sen. Cotton, Rep. Banks Introduce Bill to Counter CCP Propaganda

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) questions President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Defense, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 19, 2021. Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced legislation on Feb. 24 that would counter propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The bill, named the Countering Chinese Propaganda Act (pdf), would create a new sanctions authority against state-backed disinformation networks. It’s aimed at the CCP’s propaganda system, or United Front Work Department (UFWD), an overseas influence arm of the Chinese regime that serves to further the CCP’s interests abroad.