Shaheen Statement on Republican Obstruction of Domestic Terrorism Legislation
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked bipartisan legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives that would enhance efforts to monitor, analyze, investigate and prosecute domestic terrorism. Shaheen is a cosponsor of companion legislation in the U.S. Senate, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022, which is led by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).
“It’s shameful that Republicans continue to sit on their hands as we see incidents of violence take root and rear their heads in our communities, whether through gun violence at a grocery store in Buffalo or a synagogue in Pittsburgh, hate-based crime is metastasizing in our country. We know the facts – FBI Director Wray made that clear yesterday in his testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that I chair that domestic terrorism is one of the leading threats in the United States, and in his words: ‘the number of FBI investigations of domestic violent extremists has doubled since the spring of 2020.’ Yet when we have a bipartisan proposition to address the problem, Republicans double down on their obstruction. These partisan games and political grandstanding are grinding the Senate to halt on critical measures that would keep our families safe – it has got to stop,” said Senator Shaheen. “As lawmakers, it is our job to write policies that respond to the needs of our communities, and what is more important than keeping people safe? It’s unconscionable, especially in the aftermath of the horror in Uvalde, that Republicans refuse to engage in common-sense policies that will make our country a safer place.”
Senator Shaheen is Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, and yesterday held a hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray on the Bureau’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget request to Congress. During the hearing, Shaheen questioned Wray on the threat of extremism and domestic terrorism in the United States.
