Press Releases

House Judiciary, Homeland Security & Intelligence Leaders Write President Biden on Delayed Domestic Terrorism Data Report

“Without it, we cannot effectively address this pervasive threat to the United States”

Washington, March 3, 2021

Washington, D.C. – Today, leaders of the Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on Homeland Security, and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence sent a letter urging President Biden to prioritize the issuance of along overdue intelligence assessment and report on the domestic terrorism threat.

The assessment and report, which the Trump Administration failed to produce as required by law and was due to Congress over 8 months ago, is to include comprehensive data regarding the extent of the domestic terrorism threat in the U.S. The January 6thdomestic terrorism attack on the Capitol – and the ongoing investigations into the attack – has intensified interest in this data, particularly as Congress considers changes in policy and law to address the threat. Just yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress: “The problem of domestic terrorism has been metastasizing around the country for a long time now, and it’s not going away anytime soon.”

In the letter, Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), Intelligence & Counterterrorism Subcommittee Chair Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), 116th Congress Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence & Counterproliferation Subcommittee Chair André Carson (D-IN), and Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security Subcommittee Chair Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), wrote:

The sharing of broad and detailed data with Congress and the public is critical. The report mandated by Congress will encompass information on incidents, investigations, prosecutions, intelligence analysis, personnel, resources, prioritization, training, gaps in policy, and recommendations. The information will help Congress and the administration to better understand the threat and determine the steps to counter it, bolster related efforts by communities and civil society, and increase transparency for the American people.

For those reasons, we urge you to direct relevant departments and agencies to prioritize the production and publication of the assessment and data as required by law. Without it, we cannot effectively address this pervasive threat to the United States.

Link to letter

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