The State Department was allocated $120 million to battle Russian meddling in elections but has yet to spend any of the money, according to a New York Times report.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has not been eager to combat the threat, saying he’s not sure the U.S. can do much to counter Russian interference in elections.
The Pentagon announced Monday it would transfer $40 million to help with the effort. The Times reported the announcement came after it had asked questions about the delay.
The department said it expects to receive the $40 million in April. To help jump-start the initiative quickly, Steve Goldstein, the under secretary for public diplomacy, said he’d send over $1 million from his budget.
“This funding is critical to ensuring that we continue an aggressive response to malign influence and disinformation,” Goldstein told the Times.
