June 9, 2026 (WASHINGTON) – Today, Congressman Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security’s Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Subcommittee, announced the introduction of the Department of Homeland Security Communications, Accuracy, Neutrality, Disclosure, Oversight, and Review (DHS CANDOR) Act. The legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish Department-wide standards governing public communications and official social media activity to ensure accuracy, professionalism, transparency, and compliance with Federal law.
During the second Trump administration, official DHS social media accounts have been used to disseminate lies, inflammatory rhetoric, and partisan political content that seek to divide, rather than inform, the public. At a time when Americans rely on DHS for accurate information about public safety and disaster response, the Department's communications must be factual, objective, and worthy of public trust.
"Under the failed leadership of Kristi Noem and Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security is constantly posting inflammatory rhetoric that appeals to the ‘Great Replacement Theory’ of replacing white, native-born populations with non-white immigrants,” said Ranking Member Thanedar. “My bill brings commonsense changes to how DHS operates its social media, to include personal and official accounts, by requiring mandatory media trainings and oversight by the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). It is time that Congress brings an end to this unacceptable behavior."
"When the Department of Homeland Security puts something out, the American people ought to be able to trust that it's true," said Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS). "The DHS CANDOR Act puts some commonsense guardrails in place to make sure DHS is doing its job to inform the public and not abusing its platforms to push the President's agenda.”
The DHS CANDOR Act would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to:
Require DHS to establish Department-wide standards for public communications and official social media activity;
Prohibit misleading, partisan, or unsupported statements in official DHS communications and require the correction of inaccurate information;
Establish oversight and review requirements for official DHS social media accounts;
Require annual training on the appropriate use of official and personal social media accounts; and
Direct the DHS Inspector General to audit compliance and report findings to Congress.
Read the full legislative text here.
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