[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8236 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8236
To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to list the Council on
American-Islamic Relations and its chapter affiliates as Specially
Designated Global Terrorists, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 9, 2026
Mr. Roy (for himself, Mr. Ogles, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, and Mr.
Norman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Ways
and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to list the Council on
American-Islamic Relations and its chapter affiliates as Specially
Designated Global Terrorists, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Designating Hamas Affiliates in
America Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was
named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land
Foundation terrorism financing trial. On appeal, U.S. District
Court Judge Jorge Solis upheld CAIR's co-conspirator status and
ruled that the Department of Justice ``produced ample
evidence'' of CAIR's association with Hamas. Hamas is a U.S.
designated terrorist organization established with the stated
goal to destroy Israel and eradicate the Jewish people. On
October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and
systematically raped, tortured, and killed innocent civilians,
leading to a death toll of over 1,200 people, including
Americans and other nationals, while taking over 240 hostages.
(2) During the Holy Land Foundation trial, the largest
terror finance case in U.S. history, prosecutors revealed that
CAIR's founders, Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmad, were part of the
Islamic Association of Palestine, a Hamas propaganda front that
raised money for the Holy Land Foundation charity. FBI wiretaps
revealed that both men were present at a 1993 meeting in
Philadelphia, where Hamas supporters discussed the need to
establish a new Hamas front that could disguise its links to
terrorism.
(3) CAIR was founded a year after the Philadelphia meeting
with seed money from the Holy Land Foundation charity and
permission from Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood officials.
(4) The U.S. Treasury Department listed the Holy Land
Foundation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the
charity's senior leaders were found guilty of funneling more
than $12 million to Hamas. Ghassan Elashi, a founding member of
CAIR's Texas chapter, was found guilty in 2009 of money
laundering, tax fraud, and providing material support to a
designated foreign terrorist organization and sentenced to 65
years in prison.
(5) Ghassan Elashi is one of seven CAIR officials arrested,
convicted, or deported for terrorism-related crimes, including:
(A) Muthanna al-Hanooti, the founder and director
of CAIR-Michigan, was convicted in 2011 of violating
U.S. sanctions against Iraq when he secured the rights
to 2 million barrels of oil in exchange for assisting
the Iraqi Government under Saddam Hussein.
(B) Nabil Sadoun, a former Dallas resident and CAIR
board member, was deported to Jordan in 2010 and denied
re-entry after the U.S. Government alleged that he lied
on naturalization documents when he denied membership
with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
(C) Randall Todd (Ismail) Royer, a CAIR
communications specialist and civil rights coordinator
who trained with Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Al Qaeda-linked
terrorist group, was indicted on charges of assisting
Al Qaeda in the Taliban's jihadist war against American
troops in Afghanistan and sentenced to 20 years in
prison on April 9, 2004.
(D) Abdurahman Alamoudi, the director of CAIR-
Northern Virginia, was sentenced in 2004 to 23-years in
prison on terrorism-related financial and conspiracy
charges, including his role in a Libyan government plot
to assassinate the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
(E) Bassem Khafagi, CAIR's former community affairs
director, who pleaded guilty in September 2003 to three
Federal counts of visa and bank fraud and was deported
to Egypt after he funneled money to support terrorist
activities and published materials advocating for
suicide bombings.
(F) Rabih Haddad, a Michigan-based CAIR fundraiser,
was arrested on terrorism-related charges and deported
in 2003 for his work as the Executive Director of the
Global Relief Foundation, a charity that was shut down
and listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist
in October 2002 for providing support to Osama Bin
Laden, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups.
(6) The Governors of Texas and Florida have issued
executive orders designating CAIR as a terrorist organization
under state law. Multiple State Legislatures, including
Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana, have passed resolutions
urging state agencies and law enforcement to suspend contact
with CAIR due to its alleged affiliations with terrorist
groups.
(7) The United Arab Emirates, a close Middle Eastern ally,
designated CAIR as a terrorist entity in 2014 over its alleged
links to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
(8) The Federal Bureau of Investigation has suspended all
non-investigative contacts with CAIR due to evidence
demonstrating a relationship between CAIR and Hamas.
(9) The Anti-Defamation League, a respected Jewish rights
group, maintains that ``key CAIR leaders often traffic in
openly antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.'' In 2019, 61
Jewish and pro-Israel organizations endorsed a report referring
to CAIR as ``a leading voice'' in the antisemtic boycott
campaign targeting Israel.
(10) Hospitality providers in several states, including
Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, have
canceled hotel conferences hosted by CAIR and its partners,
citing public opposition and reputational risks associated with
CAIR and its scheduled speakers. In February 2024, U.S.
Representative Summer Lee withdrew from a CAIR fundraiser in
Philadelphia after facing an intense backlash related to other
speakers' antisemtic and homophobic comments.
(11) The Biden Administration publicly disavowed CAIR and
ended its outreach with the nonprofit after Executive Director
Nihad Awad told an audience at a Palestine convention that he
was ``happy to see'' the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.
(12) Zainab Chaudry, Executive Director of CAIR-Maryland,
was suspended from the state's Commission on Hate Crime
Response and Prevention for social media posts comparing Israel
to Nazi Germany and accusing Israelis of harvesting the corpses
of dead Palestinians. Chaudry's replacement on the hate crimes
panel, Aymen Nasser--who was also a member of CAIR's Maryland
chapter--was forced to resign for antisemtic and homophobic
social media posts. In response, the Maryland General Assembly
passed legislation banning private organizations like CAIR from
serving on the Commission.
(13) Zahra Billoo, the leader of CAIR's San Francisco Bay
Area branch, publicly mourned the death of Hamas commander
Ismail Haniyeh following his July 31, 2024, assassination in
the Iranian capital of Tehran, declaring ``his martyrdom is not
in vain.'' During a 2021 speech to radical anti-Israel
activists, Billoo encouraged the audience to ``pay attention to
the polite Zionists'' and Jewish community groups that seek to
``break bread'' with their Muslim neighbors.
(14) Designating entities as Specially Designated Global
Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order 13224 (September 23,
2001) allows the United States to block assets and prohibit
transactions to disrupt terrorist financing and activities.
(15) Such designations are necessary to protect national
security interests by preventing support for terrorism under
the guise of civil rights advocacy.
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION AS A SPECIALLY DESIGNATED GLOBAL TERRORIST.
(a) Designation.--The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation
with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, shall designate
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (hereinafter in this Act
referred to as ``CAIR''), including all its chapters, affiliates, and
successors, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to
section 1 of Executive Order 13224 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to
blocking property and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit,
threaten to commit, or support terrorism).
(b) Actions Required.--Upon designation under subsection (a)--
(1) all assets of CAIR within the jurisdiction of the
United States shall be blocked;
(2) no United States person (as defined in section 594.315
of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (or any corresponding
similar regulation or ruling)) may engage in any transaction
with CAIR; and
(3) CAIR shall be added to the Specially Designated
Nationals and Blocked Persons List maintained by the Office of
Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury.
(c) Revocation of Tax-Exempt Status.--Pursuant to section 501(p) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(p)), the Secretary of
the Treasury shall suspend the tax-exempt status under section
501(c)(3) of such Code (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) of CAIR, including all its
chapters and affiliates.
SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the
Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress--
(1) a detailed report of CAIR, including the criteria met
for designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist set
forth in U.S. Executive Order 13224; and
(2) If the Secretary determines that CAIR does not meet the
criteria set forth under such Specially Designated Global
Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224, a detailed
justification as to which criteria have not been met.
(b) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall--
(1) be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a
classified annex; and
(2) be made available only in electronic form and shall not
be printed, except if a printed copy is requested by an office
of the legislative branch.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Financial Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the
Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security,
and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House
of Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Foreign
Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
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