[House Report 114-525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
114th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 114-525
======================================================================
COMBATING TERRORIST RECRUITMENT ACT OF 2016
_______
April 26, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. McCaul, from the Committee on Homeland Security, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
together with
DISSENTING VIEWS
[To accompany H.R. 4820]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 4820) to require the Secretary of Homeland
Security to use the testimonials of former or estranged violent
extremists or their associates in order to counter terrorist
recruitment, and for other purposes, having considered the
same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend
that the bill as amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................2
Background and Need for Legislation.............................2
Hearings........................................................3
Committee Consideration.........................................4
Committee Votes.................................................5
Committee Oversight Findings....................................6
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditure6
Congressional Budget Office Estimate............................7
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives...........7
Duplicative Federal Programs....................................8
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits........................................................8
Federal Mandates Statement......................................8
Preemption Clarification........................................8
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................8
Advisory Committee Statement....................................8
Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................8
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation..................8
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported...........9
Dissenting View................................................10
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of
2016''.
SEC. 2. DIRECTIVE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
incorporate, to the extent practicable, into Department of Homeland
Security efforts to combat terrorist recruitment and communications the
public testimonials of former or estranged violent extremists or their
associates, including friends and family. Such efforts may include the
following:
(1) Counter-messaging of foreign terrorist organization
communications and narratives.
(2) Related community engagement and public education
efforts.
(b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall, where
appropriate, coordinate the actions described in subsection (a) with
the heads of other Federal departments and agencies and, as
appropriate, to the extent practicable, engage nongovernmental and
international partners in the identification and use of testimonials
described in such subsection.
Purpose and Summary
The purpose of H.R. 4820 is to require the Secretary of
Homeland Security to use the testimonials of former or
estranged violent extremists or their associates in order to
counter terrorist recruitment, and for other purposes.
Background and Need for Legislation
In September 2015, the final report of the Committee on
Homeland Security's Task Force on Combating Terrorist and
Foreign Fighter Travel was released. It included 32 findings
and more than 50 recommendations for enhancing U.S. security.
Among other conclusions, the Task Force found that ``unlike
many countries, the U.S. government has made little use of
disaffected extremists to dissuade others from traveling to
fight in terrorist sanctuaries.''
The Task Force highlighted the need to counter-message
extremist propaganda because terrorists are radicalizing
Americans at unprecedented speed and ``crowd-sourcing''
attacks. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), for
instance, has been tied to more than 80 terrorist plots and
attacks against the West, according to House Homeland Security
Committee analysis, one-third targeting America. At present,
FBI director James Comey has said publicly indicated there are
nearly 1,000 homegrown terror investigations in all 50 states,
mostly ISIS-related, and more than 250 Americans have traveled
or attempted to travel to fight with jihadists in Syria and
Iraq. This terror surge is tied to the group's ability to
recruit remotely-online and across borders. Most of these
individuals were radicalized partly through online terrorist
propaganda.
The Task Force indicated that the United States should use
testimonials from former extremists to keep others from joining
the fight. ISIS is recruiting Americans with promises of
paradise and opportunity, but defectors have revealed that the
group's territory is, in reality, a repressive and violent
prison state. These are the kind of messages that need to be
amplified to counter terrorist propaganda. As President Obama
noted in February 2015 at his Countering Violent Extremism
Summit, we ``need to lift up the voices of those who know the
hypocrisy of groups like ISIL firsthand, including former
extremists.'' Moreover, the nonpartisan Homeland Security
Advisory Council made a similar recommendation in a Spring 2015
report published online, urging the Department of Homeland
Security ``to craft and disseminate counter-narrative efforts''
based on the testimonials of former extremists.
The Task Force found many foreign countries have engaged
disaffected extremists and returnees from terrorist
battlefields to tell their stories and convince others not to
travel to terrorist safe havens. These individuals are likely
viewed by potential extremists as more credible voices than
governments. Therefore, they stand a better chance of
dissuading likely or future extremists from coming under the
influence of groups like ISIS. Moreover, the U.S. State
Department has already worked to promote the testimonials of
former extremists abroad.
However, the panel was disappointed to find such efforts
are not happening here in the U.S. homeland. Key U.S.
departments and agencies had done little to leverage the
stories of American returnees or family members of those who
have fled to the conflict zone. Accordingly, the Task Force
recommended that the U.S. government ``should launch a
concerted effort to use the testimonials of disaffected
`former' foreign fighters, extremists, and their friends and
relatives'' to counter the message of terrorist groups. The
panel also urged that the Administration should help facilitate
and distribute these stories through nongovernmental channels
where possible and empower non-traditional partners to do the
same.
This bill gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the
flexibility needed to combat the wide array of terrorist groups
that threaten the United States at home and abroad. The bill
provides guidance on the types of activities that might fulfill
the requirement, such as ``counter-messaging foreign terrorist
organization[s],'' but it does not limit the Department's
ability to counter-message other dangerous terrorist groups
that threaten the United States, including domestically.
Hearings
The Committee did not hold any hearings on H.R. 4820,
however, the Committee held the following oversight hearings:
On February 11, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled
``Countering Violent Islamist Extremism: The Urgent Threat of
Foreign Fighters and Homegrown Terror.'' The Committee received
testimony from Hon. Francis X. Taylor, Under Secretary,
Intelligence and Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security; Hon. Nicholas J. Rasmussen, Director, National
Counterterrorism Center, Office of the Director of National
Intelligence; and Mr. Michael B. Steinbach, Assistant Director,
Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
U.S. Department of Justice.
On March 24, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled
``A Global Battleground: The Fight Against Islamist Extremism
at Home and Abroad.'' The Committee received testimony from
Hon. Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives; General Michael Hayden (USAF-Ret.), Former
Director, Central Intelligence Agency and Former Director,
National Security Agency; Mr. Philip Mudd, Senior Fellow, New
America Foundation; and Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior
Adviser to the RAND President, The RAND Corporation.
On June 3, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled
``Terrorism Gone Viral: The Attack in Garland, Texas and
Beyond.'' The Committee received testimony from Mr. John J.
Mulligan, Deputy DirectorNational Counterterrorism Center; Hon.
Francis X. Taylor, Under Secretary, Intelligence and Analysis,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and Mr. Michael B.
Steinbach, Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice.
On July 15, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled
``The Rise of Radicalization: Is the U.S. Government Failing to
Counter International and Domestic Terrorism?'' The Committee
received testimony from Ms. Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior
Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Mr. Seamus Hughes, Deputy
Director, Program on Extremism, Center for Cyber and Homeland
Security, George Washington University; and Mr. J. Richard
Cohen, President, Southern Poverty Law Center.
On September 8, 2015, the Committee held a field hearing in
New York City, New York entitled ``Beyond Bin Laden's Caves and
Couriers to A New Generation of Terrorists: Confronting the
Challenges in a Post 9/11 World.'' The Committee received
testimony from Hon. Rudolph ``Rudy'' W. Giuliani, Former Mayor,
City of New York, New York; Mr. William J. Bratton,
Commissioner, Police Department, City of New York, New York;
Mr. Daniel A. Nigro, Commissioner, Fire Department, City of New
York, New York; Mr. Lee A. Ielpi, President, September 11th
Families Association; and Mr. Gregory A. Thomas, National
President, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement
Executives.
On October 21, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled
``Worldwide Threats and Homeland Security Challenges.'' The
Committee received testimony from Hon. Jeh C. Johnson,
Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Hon. Nicholas J.
Rasmussen, Director, The National Counterterrorism Center,
Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and Hon. James
B. Comey, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S.
Department of Justice.
On November 18, 2015, the Committee on Homeland Security
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a joint hearing
entitled ``The Rise of Radicalism: Growing Terrorist
Sanctuaries and the Threat to the U.S. Homeland.'' The
Committees received testimony from Hon. Matthew G. Olsen, Co-
Founder and President, Business Development and Strategy,
IronNet Cybersecurity; Gen. John M. Keane (Ret. U.S. Army),
Chairman of the Board, Institute for the Study of War; and Mr.
Peter Bergen, Vice President, Director International Security
and Fellows Programs, New America.
Committee Consideration
The Committee met on March 23, 2016, to consider H.R. 4820,
and ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a
favorable recommendation, as amended, by voice vote. The
Committee took the following actions:
The following amendments were offered:
An Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute offered by Mr.
Katko (#1); was AGREED TO, without amendment by a recorded vote
of 16 yeas and 5 nays (Roll Call Vote No. 19).
An amendment by Mr. Richmond of Louisiana to the Amendment in
the Nature of a Substitute (#1A); was NOT AGREED TO by a
recorded vote of 8 yeas and 12 nays (Roll Call Vote No. 18).
An en bloc amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a
Substitute offered by Mr. Thompson of Mississippi (#1B); was
NOT AGREED TO by voice vote.
Consisting of the following amendments:
In section 2(a)(1), insert ``and domestic terrorist organization''
before ``communications''.
In section 2, add at the end a new subsection entitled ``(c)
Director of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.''
In section 2, add at the end a new subsection entitled ``(c)
Classified Report on Sources of Testimonials.''
In section 2, add at the end a new subsection entitled ``(c)
Background Investigation.''
In section 2, add at the end a new subsection entitled ``(c)
Oversight.''
In section 2, add at the end a new subsection entitled ``(c)
Report on Former or Estranged Violent Extremists.''
In section 2, add at the end a new subsection entitled ``(c)
Definitions.''
At the end of the bill, add a new section entitled ``Sec. 3. GAO
Report.''
Committee Votes
Clause 3(b) of Rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded
votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments
thereto.
The Committee on Homeland Security considered H.R. 4820 on
March 23, 2016, and took the following votes:
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
ROLL CALL NO. 18
H.R. 4820
On agreeing to the amendment #1A offered by Mr. Richmond of Louisiana.
Not agreed to: 8 yeas and 12 nays.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Yea Nay Representative Yea Nay
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. McCaul, Chair..................... X Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ranking X
Member.
Mr. Smith of Texas........................... Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California....
Mr. King of New York......................... Ms. Jackson Lee...................... X
Mr. Rogers of Alabama........................ X Mr. Langevin.........................
Mrs. Miller of Michigan...................... Mr. Higgins.......................... X
Mr. Duncan of South Carolina................. Mr. Richmond......................... X
Mr. Marino................................... Mr. Keating..........................
Mr. Barletta................................. Mr. Payne............................ X
Mr. Perry.................................... X Mr. Vela............................. X
Mr. Clawson of Florida....................... X Mrs. Watson Coleman.................. X
Mr. Katko.................................... X Miss Rice............................ X
Mr. Hurd of Texas............................ X Mrs. Torres.......................... X
Mr. Carter of Georgia........................ X
Mr. Walker...................................
Mr. Loudermilk............................... X
Ms. McSally.................................. X
Mr. Ratcliffe................................ X
Mr. Donovan.................................. X
-------------
Vote Total: 8 12
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
ROLL CALL NO. 19
H.R. 4820
On agreeing to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute #1 offered by Mr. Katko, without amendment.
Agreed to: 16 yeas and 5 nays.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Yea Nay Representative Yea Nay
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. McCaul, Chair..................... X Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ranking X
Member.
Mr. Smith of Texas........................... Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California.... X
Mr. King of New York......................... Ms. Jackson Lee...................... X
Mr. Rogers of Alabama........................ Mr. Langevin......................... X
Mrs. Miller of Michigan...................... Mr. Higgins.......................... X
Mr. Duncan of South Carolina................. Mr. Richmond......................... X
Mr. Marino................................... Mr. Keating..........................
Mr. Barletta................................. Mr. Payne............................ X
Mr. Perry.................................... X Mr. Vela............................. X
Mr. Clawson of Florida....................... X Mrs. Watson Coleman.................. X
Mr. Katko.................................... X Miss Rice............................ X
Mr. Hurd of Texas............................ X Mrs. Torres.......................... X
Mr. Carter of Georgia........................ X
Mr. Walker...................................
Mr. Loudermilk............................... X
Ms. McSally.................................. X
Mr. Ratcliffe................................ X
Mr. Donovan.................................. X
-------------
Vote Total: 16 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Oversight Findings
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of Rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee has held oversight
hearings and made findings that are reflected in this report.
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures
In compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of Rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee finds that H.R.
4820, the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of 2016, would
result in no new or increased budget authority, entitlement
authority, or tax expenditures or revenues.
Congressional Budget Office Estimate
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of Rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, a cost estimate provided by the
Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was not made available to the
Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chairman
of the Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the
Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of Rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, H.R. 4820 contains the following
general performance goals and objectives, including outcome
related goals and objectives authorized.
The goal of H.R. 4820 is to require the Department of
Homeland Security to use the narratives of disaffected
extremists to push back against terrorist propaganda, such as
that produced by groups like ISIS. The bill requires the
Secretary of Homeland Security, to the extent practicable, to
incorporate the public testimonials of former or estranged
violent extremists into DHS efforts to combat terrorist
recruitment and communications. The Secretary may also use the
testimonials of friends or family, who may be tied to former
extremists, to fulfill this requirement. By codifying this
activity, the Committee aims to bring DHS in line with emerging
best-practices used by other government agencies, international
partners, and nongovernmental organizations to use credible
voices to keep terrorists from recruiting additional followers
and operatives, particularly from within the United States.
This legislation gives the Secretary maximum flexibility to
determine how such testimonials are obtained and disseminated,
but emphasizes that they must be ``public,'' which could
include pre-existing counter-narratives in news stories,
interviews, nongovernmental productions, or other openly
available sources. As there is already extensive material on
this subject in the public domain, the bill does not require
DHS to create a dedicated program to collect new narratives and
instead directs that they be incorporated into existing DHS
efforts. For instance, many individuals who have joined groups
like ISIS have publicly repudiated the organization,
contradicted its false narratives, and urged others not to make
the mistake of enlisting with it. These are the types of
messages the Committee hopes DHS will help amplify as part of
its ongoing efforts to combat terrorist recruitment and
communications. The bill also does not require DHS to
disseminate the narratives under its own seal, as the
Department may not be viewed as a credible messenger in some
communities. Accordingly, the legislation urges the Secretary,
to the extent practicable, to engage nongovernmental and
international partners in the identification and use of these
messages.
Duplicative Federal Programs
Pursuant to clause 3(c) of Rule XIII, the Committee finds
that H.R. 4820 does not contain any provision that establishes
or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another
Federal program.
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits
In compliance with Rule XXI of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the Rule
XXI.
Federal Mandates Statement
An estimate of Federal mandates prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act was not made available to the
Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chairman
of the Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the
Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee.
Preemption Clarification
In compliance with section 423 of the Congressional Budget
Act of 1974, requiring the report of any Committee on a bill or
joint resolution to include a statement on the extent to which
the bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt State,
local, or Tribal law, the Committee finds that H.R. 4820 does
not preempt any State, local, or Tribal law.
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings
The Committee estimates that H.R. 4820 would require no
directed rule makings.
Advisory Committee Statement
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this
legislation.
Applicability to Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation
Section 1. Short Title.
This section provides that this bill may be cited as the
``Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of 2016''.
Sec. 2. Directive.
Subsection (a)--In General.
This subsection requires the Secretary of Homeland
Security, to the extent practicable, to incorporate public
testimonials from former or estranged violent extremists, or
their friends or family, into DHS efforts to combat terrorist
recruitment and communications.
Subsection (b)--Coordination.
This subsection requires the Secretary, where appropriate,
to coordinate these efforts with the heads of other relevant
Federal departments and agencies and, to the extent
practicable, engage nongovernmental and international partners
in identifying and using such testimonials.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
As reported, H.R. 4820 makes no changes to existing law.
Dissenting Views
When H.R. 4820 was considered, at the Full Committee
markup, those of us who opposed the measure did so for the
following reason.
While we do not take issue with the bill requiring the
Department of Homeland Security to incorporate ``public
testimonials of former or estranged violent extremists or their
associates'' into the Department's efforts to combat terrorist
recruitment and communications, we do strenuously object to the
fact that the bill, as approved by the Full Committee, focuses
on only counter-messaging ``foreign terrorist organization,''
thereby excluding counter-messaging domestic terrorist
organizations.
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, domestic
terrorists have killed 48 people within the United States and
individuals inspired by foreign terrorist organizations have
killed 45 people within the United States.\1\ According to a
recent study by the Police Executive Research Forum and the
Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security found that
state and local law enforcement personnel are almost twice as
worried about right-wing and anti-government terrorism as they
are about the threat from al-Qaeda types.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\http://securitydata.newamerica.net/extrernists/deadly-
attacics.html (last visited April 21, 2016). Domestic Terrorist
Attacks--2015 Colorado Planned Parenthood Shooting (3 Persons killed),
2015 Charleston Church Shooting (9 Persons killed), 2014 Las Vegas
Police Ambush (3 Persons killed), 2014 Kansas Jewish Center Shooting (3
Persons killed), 2014 Blooming Grove Police Shooting (1 Person killed),
2012 Tri-State Killing Spree (4 Persons killed), 2012 St. John's Parish
Police Ambush (2 Persons killed), 2012 Sikh Temple Shooting (6 Persons
killed), 2011 FEAR Militia (3 Persons killed), 2010 Carlisle, PA Murder
(1 Person killed), 2010 Austin, TX Plane Attack (1 Person killed), 2009
Pittsburgh Police Shootings (3 Persons killed), 2009 Holocaust Museum
Shooting (1 Person killed), 2009 George Tiller Assassination (1 Person
killed), 2009 Flores Murders, Pima County, AZ (2 Persons killed), 2009
Brockton, MA Murders (2 Persons killed), 2008 Knoxville, TN Church
Shooting (2 Persons killed), 2004 Tulsa OK, Bank Robbery (1 Person
killed). Foreign Terrorist-Inspired Attacks--2015 San Bernardino
Shooting (14 Persons killed), 2015 Chattanooga, TN Military Shooting (5
Persons killed), 2014 Washington and New Jersey Killing Spree (4
Persons killed), 2014 Oklahoma Beheading (1 Person killed), 2013 Boston
Marathon Bombing (4 Persons killed), 2009 Little Rock Shooting (1
Person killed), 2009 Fort Hood Shooting (13 Persons killed), 2006
Seattle Jewish Federation Shooting (1 Person killed), 2002 Los Angeles
Airport Shooting (2 Persons killed).
\2\Kurtzman, Charles and David Schanzer, ``Law Enforcement
Assessment of the Violent Extremist Threat,'' June 25, 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In recognition of the fact that, like foreign terrorist
organizations, domestic terror groups recruit and spread
propaganda through social media and online chat rooms, I,
together with like-minded Committee Democrats, made multiple
proposals--during and after the markup--to remedy this matter.
Each proposal was rejected.
Specifically, at the markup, Representative Cedric Richmond
offered an amendment to define the term ``violent extremist''
as an individual engaged in ideologically motivated
international terrorism or domestic terrorism, as such terms
are defined in section 2331 of title 18, United States Code,
and that may include individuals ideologically motivated by
white supremacy extremism, militia extremism, anarchist
extremism, sovereign citizens extremism, eco-terrorist and
animal rights extremism, including the views espoused by 175
domestic and international terrorist organizations.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\(1) Advanced White Society; (2) Alternative Right; (3) American
Freedom Party; (4) American Nationalist Association; (5) American
Nationalist Union; (6) American Nazi Party; (7) American Renaissance/
New Century Foundation; (8) American Vikings; (9) Aryan Nations Knights
of the Ku Klux Klan; (10) Aryan Nations; (11) Aryan Wear; (12) Barnes
Review/Foundation for Economic Liberty, Inc.; (13) Battalion 14; (14)
Bob's Underground Graduate Seminar (BUGS); (15) carolynyeager.nek (16)
Center for the Advancement of Occidental Culture (CAOC); (17) Christian
Defense League; (18) Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (19)
Confederate Patriot Voters United; (20) Confederate White Knights of
the Ku Klux Klan; (21) Conservative Citizens Foundation, Inc.; (22)
Council for Social and Economic Studies; (23) Council of Conservative
Citizens; (24) Counter-Currents Publishing; (25) Creativity Movement;
(26) Crusader Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (27) Delaware Advanced White
Society; (28) Dixie Rangers Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (29) East
Coast Knights Of The True Invisible Empire; (30) European American
Action Coalition; (31) European American Front; (32) Faith and
Heritage; (33) Family Home Northwest; (34) Fitzgerald Griffin
Foundation; (35) Fort Christmas Knights Ku Klux Klan; (36) Fraternal
White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (37) Free America Rally; (38) Free
American; (39) Free Edgar Steele; (40) Gallows Tree Wotansvolk
Alliance; (41) H.L. Mencken Club; (42) Heathens Motorcycle Club; (43)
Heritage and Destiny; (44) International Keystone Knights of the Ku
Klan Klan Inc.; (45) Invisible Knights of the Fiery Cross; (46) Kinist
Institute; (47) Knight Riders Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (48) Knights
of the Ku Klux Klan; (49) Knights Party Veterans League; (50) Ku Klos
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (51) Ku Klux Klan; (52) Lone Wolf Brigade
Knights--Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (53) Loyal White Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan; (54) Malevolent Freedom; (55) Maryland National Socialist
Party; (56) Middle American News; (57) Mississippi White Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan; (58) Mystic Knights Of The Ku Klux Klan; (59) National
Alliance; (60) National Association for the Advancement of America;
(61) National Policy Institute; (62) National Socialist Freedom
Movement; (63) National Socialist German Workers Party; (64) National
Socialist Movement; (65) National Youth Front; (66) Nationalist
Coalition; (67) Nationalist Movement; (68) New Century Productions--A
Conversation About Race; (69) New Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan;
(70) New Order; (71) North Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux
Klan; (72) Northwest Front; (73) NS Publications; (74) Occidental
Dissent; (75) Occidental Quarterly/Charles Martel Society; (76) Order
Of The Confederate Brotherhood Knights Of The Ku Klux Klan; (77)
Pacifica Forum; (78) Patriotic Flags; (79) Pioneer Fund; (80) Pioneer
Little Europe; (81) Protestant White Nationalist Party of Kentucky/
Uncreated Light; (82) Racial Nationalist Party of America; (83) Radix
Journal; (84) Red October; (85) Revolutionary Order of the Aryan
Republic; (86) Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club; (87) Scott-Townsend
Publishers; (88) Soldiers Of the Cross Training Institute; (89) South
Africa Project; (90) Southern European Aryans League Army; (91)
Stormfront; (92) The Creativity Alliance; (93) The Daily Stormer; (94)
The Forsaken Motorcycle Club; (95) The Political Cesspool; (96) The
White Voice; (97) Third Reich Books; (98) Traditionalist American
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (99) Traditionalist Youth Network (Indiana
University); (100) United Klans of America; (101) United Northern and
Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; (102) United White Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan; (103) VDARE Foundation; (104) Voice of Reason Broadcast
Network; (105) Washington Summit Publishers; (106) Whitakeronline;
(107) White Advocacy Movement; (108) White Aryan Resistance; (109)
White Boy Society; (110) White Camelia Knights of the Ku Klux Klan;
(111) White Man's March; (112) White Rabbit Radio; (113) White Student
Union of Tarrant County; (114) World View Foundations; (115) WTM
Enterprises; (116) Abu Nidal Organization (ANO); (117) Abu Sayyaf Group
(ASG); (118) Aum Shinrikyo (AUM); (119) Basque Fatherland and Liberty
(ETA); (120) Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) (IG); (121) HAMAS;
(122) Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM); (123) Hizballah; (124) Kahane Chai
(Kach); (125) Kurdistan Workers Party (PICK) (Kongra-Gel); (126)
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); (127) National Liberation Army
(ELN); (128) Palestine Liberation Front (PLF); (129) Palestinian
Islamic Jihad (PIJ); (130) Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLF); (131) PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC); (132)
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC); (133) Revolutionary
People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C); (134) Shining Path (SL);
(135) al-Qa'ida (AQ); (136) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU); (137)
Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA); (138) Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM); (139)
Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT); (140) Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AAMB); (141)
Asbat al-Ansar (AAA); (142) al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM);
(143) Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA);
(144) Jemaah Islamiya (JI); (145) LashIcar i Jhangvi (LJ); (146) Ansar
al-Islam (AAI); (147) Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA); (148)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (formerly al-Qa'ida in Iraq);
(149) Islamic Jihad Union (IJU); (150) Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami/
Bangladesh (HUJI-B); (151) al-Shabaab; (152) Revolutionary Struggle
(RS); (153) Kata'ib Hizballah (I(H); (154) al-Qa'ida in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP); (155) Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI); (156) Tehrik-
e Taliban Pakistan (TTP); (157) Jundallah; (158) Army of Islam (AOI);
(159) Indian Mujahedeen (IM); (160) Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT); (161)
Abdallah Azzam Brigades (AAB); (162) Haqqani Network (HQN); (163) Ansar
al-Dine (AAD); (164) Boko Haram; (165) Ansaru; (166) al-Mulathamun
Battalion; (167) Ansar al-Shari'a in Benghazi; (168) Ansar al-Shari'a
in Darnah; (169) Ansar al-Shari'a in Tunisia; (170) ISIL Sinai Province
(formally Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis); (171) al-Nusrah Front; (172) Mujahidin
Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC); (173) Jaysh Rijal al-
Tariq al Naqshabandi (JRTN); (174) ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K); and (175)
Any other foreign or domestic terrorist organization.
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The Richmond amendment was rejected.
Subsequently, I offered an amendment that would have
inserted ``domestic terrorist organization'' into the measure
to bring it in line with DHS's approach to countering violent
extremism, which is governed by the ``Empowering Local Partners
to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States (National CVE
Strategy),'' which was issued in August 2011. The central tenet
of the National CVE Strategy is that ``[g]roups and individuals
inspired by a range of religious, political, or other
ideological beliefs have promoted and used violence against the
Homeland.''\4\
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\4\https://www.dhs.gov/dhss-approach-countering-violent-extremism
(last viewed 4/21/2016).
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My amendment, too, was rejected.
Finally, I would note that, during the markup, there was a
lengthy discussion with the attorney from the Office of
Legislative Counsel about how the bill could be broadened if
the word ``foreign'' was struck from the bill. Since the
Majority, at the conclusion of the discussion, did not advance
a proposal to strike the word, it is patently obvious that the
Majority wants the focus of DHS' efforts to be on the
propaganda advanced by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL) and other foreign terrorist groups and has little
interest in DHS integrating public testimonials of former
domestic militia-member, white supremacists, sovereign
citizens, and other domestic terrorists into DHS' efforts to
combat terrorist recruitment and communications. For those of
us on the Democratic side of the aisle that voted against this
measure, this represents a major weakness in the bill and a
major blind-spot regarding the terrorist threats this nation
faces.
Importantly, DHS repeatedly communicated to the Committee
that this legislation is not necessary, as it has the authority
to integrate testimonials into its efforts, as appropriate.
Therefore, from a public policy perspective, there is no need
for this legislation to advance unless, as those Committee
Democrats who voted against this measure were left to conclude,
the Majority wishes to direct DHS to focus its attention on
countering ISIL and engaging the American Muslim community, to
the exclusion of other serious violent extremist threats.
Terrorist organizations continue to move rapidly in their
recruitment of our children, coworkers, and neighbors and we
must act to counter their efforts. Countering violent extremism
should be a top priority for this Committee and we have a duty
to ensure that Federal efforts to counter violent extremism are
focused on domestic terrorist and foreign terrorist threats.
Bennie G. Thompson.
[all]