PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.1233 / 119th Congress

To prohibit the obligation or expenditure of Federal funds for disinformation research grants, and for other purposes.

Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 12, 2025

This bill prohibits federal funding for (1) disinformation research grants, (2) the National Science Foundation (NSF) Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace grant program, and (3) programs within the NSF Convergence Accelerator grant program’s Track F: Trust and Authenticity in Communications Systems.  

The Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace grant program provides grants to support research and education on various topics in cybersecurity and privacy, including cryptography, hardware security, and information integrity. The Convergence Accelerator’s Track F projects focused on tools and techniques to prevent, mitigate, and adapt to the unanticipated negative effects of, and potential manipulation of, communications systems (e.g., misinformation).

Read the summary on Congress.gov

Who introduced it

Rep. Massie, Thomas [R-KY-4] · R–KY

Committees

  • Science, Space, and Technology Committee
11 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Jul 28, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.1233 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.1233 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.1233 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.1233 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources

Read the proposal in plain language

AI-generated · Source-checked by AI · Oct 30, 2026

Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-12 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.

What it would do

This bill would prohibit every federal department and agency from committing or spending federal money on three specified categories of grants or programs. These are disinformation research grants, Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace grants, and programs within the National Science Foundation’s Track F: Trust and Authenticity in Communications Systems. The supplied text is a proposal, not evidence of enacted law.

Check the sources
1. Prohibition No Federal funds may be obligated or expended by any Federal department or agency for the following: (1) Disinformation research grants. (2) Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace grants. (3) Programs within the National Science Foundation’s Track F: Trust and Authenticity in Communications Systems.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-12
2025-02-12: Introduced in House
Official legislative record · 2025-07-28T20:42:08Z

How it would work

The proposed prohibition covers both obligating funds—committing the government to pay—and actually spending them. It applies to any federal department or agency.

Check the source
No Federal funds may be obligated or expended by any Federal department or agency for the following:
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-12

The funding prohibition would cover disinformation research grants and Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace grants, as well as programs within the National Science Foundation’s specified Track F.

Check the source
No Federal funds may be obligated or expended by any Federal department or agency for the following: (1) Disinformation research grants. (2) Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace grants. (3) Programs within the National Science Foundation’s Track F: Trust and Authenticity in Communications Systems.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-12

What the record shows

The supplied actions snapshot, updated July 28, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on February 12, 2025.

Check the source
Source snapshot updated 2025-07-28T20:42:08Z. 2025-02-12: Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. 2025-02-12: Introduced in House
Official legislative record · 2025-07-28T20:42:08Z

Riders & Targeted Benefits

Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-12. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.

This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.

Riders

Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.

None identified in the reviewed text

No unrelated provision or appropriations policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.

Earmarks

Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.

None identified in the reviewed text

No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; earmark disclosures and accompanying committee materials were not supplied.

Other targeted benefits

Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.

None identified in the reviewed text

No materially narrow benefit, preferential exemption, or special exception was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.

What this analysis cannot establish

  • The supplied history does not establish whether the bill later advanced or became law. Its last recorded actions should not be treated as proof that no later action occurred.
  • The text does not define disinformation research grants or describe the scope of the named grants and programs. It does not identify individual recipients or funding amounts.
  • The text specifies no exceptions, implementation date, expiration date, or separate enforcement mechanism. It does not explain how the prohibition would affect existing grant commitments.

Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jul 28, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI