GOP Senators Balk at Domestic Terrorism Bill

Supporters of the bill passed by the House say it will fill the gaps in intelligence-sharing among the justice department, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

Landwebs Landwebs
May 22, 2022 - 07:00
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GOP Senators Balk at Domestic Terrorism Bill

Legislation that would bolster federal resources to prevent domestic terrorism in response to the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, NY has been passed by the House of Representatives but faces an uphill climb to pass the Senate, with only one Republican voting in favor of the measure, reports The Guardian.

Supporters of the House bill, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, say it will fill the gaps in intelligence-sharing among the justice department, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI so that officials can better track and respond to the growing threat of white extremist terrorism.

Under the bill, agencies would be required to produce a joint report every six months that assesses and quantifies domestic terrorism threats nationally, including threats posed by white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups.

Meanwhile, Republicans are opposed to bolstering the power of the justice department in domestic surveillance. Under current law, the three federal agencies already work to investigate, prevent and prosecute acts of domestic terrorism.

The bill would require each agency to open offices specifically dedicated to those tasks and create an interagency taskforce to combat the infiltration of white supremacy in the military.

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