[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1154 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 1154

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                       October 2, 2020.
Whereas, throughout history, conspiracy theories that falsely blame secret 
        cabals or marginalized groups for society's ills have fueled prejudice, 
        genocide, and acts of terrorism;
Whereas QAnon is a movement promoting a collection of unfounded conspiracy 
        theories that have spread widely on the internet since 2017;
Whereas QAnon initially alleged that prominent Americans are engaged in a secret 
        plot to control the world, while using their power to exploit children, 
        and has expanded to embrace virtually every popular conspiracy theory of 
        the last several decades, from questioning the truth about the September 
        11th terrorist attacks, to believing in alien landings, to denying the 
        safety of vaccines;
Whereas many QAnon followers express anti-Semitic views, and the Anti-Defamation 
        League has said that the movement's central conspiracy theory includes 
        anti-Semitic elements;
Whereas conspiracy theories have been a central driver of anti-Semitism for 
        centuries, and QAnon conspiracy theories are fanning the flames as anti-
        Semitism is on the rise in the United States and around the world;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has assessed with high 
        confidence that ``fringe political conspiracy theories'', including 
        QAnon, ``very likely motivate some domestic extremists, wholly or in 
        part, to engage in criminal or violent activity'', and that these 
        conspiracy theories ``very likely encourage the targeting of specific 
        people, places and organizations, thereby increasing the likelihood of 
        violence against these targets'';
Whereas the FBI bases this assessment on ``events in which individuals committed 
        crimes, plotted attacks, or successfully carried out deadly violence, 
        and who--either before or after their arrests--attributed their actions 
        to their conspiratorial beliefs'';
Whereas QAnon adherents have been implicated in crimes that they claim their 
        QAnon beliefs inspired, including--

    (1) a man arrested in 2018 for plotting to plant a bomb in the Illinois 
Capitol rotunda to make Americans aware of the ``Pizzagate'' conspiracy 
theory;

    (2) a man arrested in 2018 for using an armored car to block traffic on 
the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge;

    (3) a man in Arizona arrested in 2019 for vandalizing a Catholic 
church;

    (4) a woman in Colorado arrested in 2019 for plotting an armed raid to 
kidnap her child, who had been taken from her custody;

    (5) a man charged with the murder of an organized crime boss in New 
York in 2019; and

    (6) a woman arrested in New York with a car full of knives after 
posting a video accusing Joe Biden of participating in child sex 
trafficking and threatening to kill him;

Whereas the FBI further assesses that ``these conspiracy theories very likely 
        will emerge, spread and evolve in the modern information marketplace * * 
        * fostering anti-government sentiment, racial and religious prejudice, 
        [and] increasing political tensions'';
Whereas, according to the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States 
        Military Academy at West Point, ``QAnon is arguably no longer simply a 
        fringe conspiracy theory but an ideology that has demonstrated its 
        capacity to radicalize to violence individuals at an alarming speed'';
Whereas Facebook, Twitter, and Google have removed or blocked QAnon groups and 
        content from their platforms for violating their policies against 
        misinformation, bullying, hate speech, and harassment;
Whereas QAnon adherents have been harming legitimate efforts to combat child 
        exploitation and sex trafficking, including by overwhelming 
        antitrafficking hotlines with false reports;
Whereas the conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon undermine trust in America's 
        democratic institutions, encourage rejection of objective reality, and 
        deepen our Nation's political polarization; and
Whereas our Nation's polarization is further accentuated by others, from the far 
        left to the far right, promoting extreme ideologies and antigovernment 
        conspiracy theories, hijacking legitimate peaceful protests, and 
        encouraging followers to damage, deface, or vandalize local, State, and 
        Federal Government properties and to attack law enforcement: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns QAnon and rejects the conspiracy theories it promotes;
            (2) condemns all other groups and ideologies, from the far left to 
        the far right, that contribute to the spread of unfounded conspiracy 
        theories and that encourage Americans to destroy public and private 
        property and attack law enforcement officers;
            (3) encourages the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as all 
        Federal law enforcement and homeland security agencies, to continue to 
        strengthen their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and 
        other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe political 
        conspiracy theories;
            (4) encourages the intelligence community to uncover any foreign 
        support, assistance, or online amplification QAnon receives, as well as 
        any QAnon affiliations, coordination, and contacts with foreign 
        extremist organizations or groups espousing violence; and
            (5) urges all Americans, regardless of our beliefs or partisan 
        affiliation, to seek information from authoritative sources and to 
        engage in political debate from a common factual foundation.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.