Nina Jankowicz to Testify Before the House Foreign Affairs Committee: The “Censorship Industrial Complex” Is a Fiction that Threatens National Security

(Washington, DC) – Tomorrow, Nina Jankowicz, founder of the American Sunlight Project, will testify tomorrow before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia in a hearing titled “Censorship Industrial Complex: The Need for First Amendment Safeguards at the State Department.” In her testimony, Jankowicz will explain how the “Censorship Industrial Complex” is a fiction that has had profound implications not only for her safety but for national security, free speech, and the integrity of democratic institutions.

"The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’ is a myth and a harmful one at that. It’s distracting lawmakers from the real dangers—foreign disinformation and threats to the integrity of our democratic processes,” said Nina Jankowicz, Chief Executive Officer of the American Sunlight Project, “Congress should be focused on combating these threats, not wasting time on politically motivated investigations." 

Jankowicz has seen firsthand how the focus on these false censorship claims has harmed researchers. Disinformation experts, including herself, have faced harassment, misrepresentation, and personal attacks, for doing the critical work to safeguard democracy. This environment is having a chilling effect on free speech and academic freedom, silencing those who are essential to protecting our national security and freedom.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration and its allies are waging an aggressive assault on free speech, targeting journalists, academics, and public officials who challenge their narrative. By branding legitimate research as “censorship” and dismantling programs designed to counter disinformation, they are not defending free expression but instead working to control it, punishing those who expose inconvenient truths while allowing malign foreign influence to flourish.

The real danger, as Jankowicz will explain, lies in how these distractions undermine U.S. efforts to combat foreign influence operations. Foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, and Iran, are actively using disinformation to destabilize American democracy. Congress must shift its focus back to addressing these threats before it’s too late.

"We cannot afford to be distracted by political theater. Our adversaries are using disinformation to erode democracy from within, and we must act decisively to protect our values," Jankowicz said.

Jankowicz will testify before the committee tomorrow, April 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET.