Rogers told lawmakers the agency must modernise rapidly to counter increasingly sophisticated influence campaigns by authoritarian governments. "China alone spends about $40 billion on propaganda and influence operations," she said. "We have coordinated bot hives," Rogers said, adding that the United States was also confronting "foreign influence" networks and influence operations that extended into universities and online debates. Responding to a question by Senator Ted Cruz, Rogers argued that Chinese and Iranian influence operations often promoted similar ideological themes while Russia employed more opportunistic tactics. Rogers acknowledged that the agency needed reform but said she intended to comply with congressional funding decisions while rebuilding its operational capacity.