Rose Introduces Legislation to Counter Global White Supremacist Terrorism

Press Release

Congressman Max Rose, along with Congressman Ted Deutch of Florida and Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, recently introduced the Countering Global White Supremacist Terrorism Act, bicameral legislation to strengthen the U.S. government's counter-terrorism efforts against transnational white supremacy and identity groups.

"The perpetrators of white supremacist violence don't just share the same vile, hate-fueled ideology--they're increasingly sharing resources, training, and global terrorist networks just like we've seen from violent jihadist terrorist groups for decades," said Congressman Rose, Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence & Counterterrorism. "This is a global problem, which is why we need the State Department to start confronting it with the same type of whole-of-government playbook that we bring to every other global threat."

As white identity and other far-right violent groups continue growing around the world, this new bicameral legislation is a recognition that the Trump Administration must align its countering violent extremism programming to address this form of radicalization. Despite the increasingly transnational nature of white identity terrorism, U.S. efforts to address this global threat lag well behind our counter-terrorism efforts against ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other Islamist violent extremist organizations. The bill directs the U.S. Department of State to develop a strategy with other government agencies to respond to the interconnected global white identity terrorist movement. The bill also requires that the State Department report on these groups and determine whether they should be subject to sanctions under existing U.S. law.

"White identity groups pose a severe and deadly threat to societies around the world," said Congressman Deutch, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism. "Already the world has seen how a white supremacist attack in one country can inspire people in other countries to use violence, and the role of the dark web in spreading their hateful ideology and terrorist tactics. The United States must develop a whole-of-government strategy to confront these terrorist groups as seriously as any other transnational extremist group."

"There is no place in our world for white supremacist terror groups and they must be eradicated," said Senator Menendez, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. "We know all too well the horror that such groups have inflicted on our own country throughout history. Today these groups are internationally connected like never before -- they inspire each other and trade techniques. And it needs to stop -- our State Department has a key role to play in leading a diplomatic effort to counter these groups like we have with Al Qaeda and ISIS. This bill will better align our resources to understand and address this threat and require determinations as to whether such groups should be sanctioned as terrorists."

The Countering Global White Supremacist Terrorism Act calls on the U.S. Department of State to:

develop a strategy coordinated with the relevant U.S. government departments and agencies to counter white identity terrorism globally.
assess the global threat from white identity terrorism, and develop, adapt, or expand programs designed to counter violent extremism to meet the challenge.
outline steps it will take to improve information and intelligence sharing.
describe how it will use its designation authorities, and other possible remedies, against white identity terrorists
require the annual Country Reports on Terrorism to include credible information about white identity terrorism and a separate report on sanctions.

Earlier this year, Rose introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the global threat transnational white supremacist extremism presents to America and urging the U.S. Department of State to designate qualifying violent foreign white supremacist groups as FTOs. In April, the State Department heeded Rose's call and designated a foreign white supremacist group, the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), along with three of its leaders, as a FTO for the first time in history.

In a recent hearing chaired by Rose, Administration officials testified that that neo-Nazi organizations pose significant threats and FTO designation would give more tools to law enforcement to protect from those threats. Last month, the House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously advanced Rose's Transnational White Supremacist Extremism Review Act, which would direct the Department of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate a terrorist threat assessment of foreign violent white supremacist extremist groups.

Rose has also been a leader in confronting the threat of online white supremacist extremism. Just last month, following pressure from Rose, Nicholas Rasmussen was hired as the first Executive Director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), officially transitioning GIFCT into a standalone, non-profit institution with full-time staff dedicated to ensuring that terrorist content has no home on social media platforms.

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