State Department seeks billions to beef up propaganda programs amid declining US influence

© Reuters / Yuri Gripas

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

Citing RT's influence, Secretary of State John Kerry asked US lawmakers for more money for propaganda and "democracy promotion" programs around the world.

"Russia Today (sic) can be heard in English, do we have an equivalent that can be heard in Russian? It's a pretty expensive proposition. They are spending huge amounts of money," Kerry told the House Appropriations Subcommittee,

He had also raised the topic earlier in the day, before the House Foreign Affairs committee, where Representative Ed Royce (R-CA), opened the hearing with the allegation that "Russia's military aggression is matched only by its propaganda." To Kerry's approval, Royce went on to claim that "Russia is spending more than $500 million annually to mislead audiences, sow divisions, and push conspiracy out over RT television."

Royce's remarks echo the claim made by Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) chief Andrew Lack last month, when he listed "Russia Today" (sic) in the same breath as ISIS and Boko Haram as one of the challenges facing his agency.

, according to the current exchange rate, or 13.85 billion rubles. By contrast, the US government media receives $721 million. The BBC World Service, which complained about RT "winning the information war" in January, is funded to the tune of $375 million a year.

In the budget proposal submitted by Kerry, the Department of State is asking for "$639 million to help our friends in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova as they seek to strengthen their democracies, withstand pressure from Russia, and to integrate more closely into Europe." [PDF] The Department of State is also requesting over $2 billion - described as "a significant increase" - for "democracy, human rights, and governance programs."