Since President Joe Biden took office, his administration has spent more than $267 million “combating misinformation,” according to a new report from OpenTheBooks, a government transparency watchdog group. This comes as a major initiative under President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration takes shape.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to reduce government waste.
The $267 million spent on combating misinformation went to universities, nonprofits and private companies, according to the report. The largest increase in spending occurred in 2021, with $126 million allocated to “studying and countering COVID-related speech” at a time when public health officials were pushing mandates related to COVID-19.
According to OpenTheBooks, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent the most money on misinformation research, specifically targeting what it classified as COVID misinformation.
Other federal agencies that reportedly spent millions in grants to fight misinformation include the National Science Foundation, the State Department and the Pentagon.
The report shows that most of the funds were directed to universities. For example, nearly $4 million was awarded to the City University of New York to study how people with anxiety and depression were impacted by vaccine misinformation online. This project is set to conclude in August 2025.
The University of Michigan received $14 million to examine the impact of misinformation on American politics and social polarization.
The federal government also partnered with private companies. According to OpenTheBooks, HHS granted $300,000 to the tech firm Melax Technologies to monitor vaccine misinformation on social media.
The Department of Homeland Security awarded more than $1 million to Guidehouse, a defense contractor, to analyze “misinformation and disinformation.”
There are significant differences between how the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration view misinformation and the role of government in addressing it.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the Biden administration reached out to him on multiple occasions, asking the platform to censor content it considered COVID misinformation.
President-elect Trump has vowed to dismantle what he calls the “censorship cartel” within the federal government. On his first day in office, Trump says he will issue an executive order banning federal agencies from collaborating with outside groups to censor or restrict speech. He has also promised to halt taxpayer-funded misinformation research.
The debate over how to handle misinformation remains divisive. Supporters of regulating misinformation argue it is crucial for protecting the public, while critics say it undermines free speech.
