Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), to hold the Pentagon accountable for its propaganda program, successfully amended the he Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Authorization Bill to codify into law that no funds authorized in the bill may be used for propaganda purposes, and to direct the Department of Defense Inspector General and Government Accountability Office to report on whether or not the defense analysts program violated propaganda provisions of Department of Defense appropriations bills for Fiscal Years 2002 through 2008.  DeLauro offered the amendment with Congressmen Paul Hodes (NH-2) and Peter DeFazio (OR-4).

Today Congress sends a very clear signal that we will not tolerate the Pentagon operating programs aimed at deceiving the American people, DeLauro said.

When speaking on the House floor in support of the measure, DeLauro stated, Every year, the annual Defense Appropriations bills signed into law have made clear that no funds shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes not authorized by the Congress. Unfortunately, our leaders at the Department of Defense do not seem to have understood what that means.  This amendment will remove all doubt.  Additionally, with this amendment, both the Pentagons Inspector and the Government Accountability Office will investigate this secretive propaganda program.

In her floor statement, DeLauro also emphasize the importance of holding the Pentagon accountable, When you put analysts on the air without fully disclosing their business interests, or their relationships with high-level officials within the government, the public trust is betrayed.

DeLauro has pressed for the DoDs propaganda program to be investigated from a number of different angles wrote with House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell to the Federal Communications Commission to urge an investigation (to view the letter, please click here); led a delegation of her colleagues to request a DoD Inspector general investigation (to view the letter, please click here); and wrote the television news networks for answers regarding their standards for military analysts (to view the letters, please click here).