U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced the “Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act” to redesignate Ansarallah, more commonly known as the Houthis, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The Houthis, a paramilitary organization in Yemen funded by Iran, pose a significant security threat to the United States as well as the peace and stability of Israel and the Middle East.
“Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, the Houthis have attacked U.S. allies more than 100 times. With the start of the Trump administration, it’s time to get serious about counterterrorism again and send a message to the Iranian regime that the U.S. stands with Israel and will not tolerate our allies being attacked and shipping routes in the Middle East being disrupted. Designating the Houthis as an FTO will enable the Trump administration to bring the full weight of U.S. sanctions in order to restore peace and order in the Middle East,” said Daines.
Read the bill text HERE.
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined Daines in introducing the bill.
Background
President Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated the Houthis as an FTO on January 19th, 2021. Approximately one month later, Biden’s Secretary of State Blinken revoked their FTO designation. In January 2024, Biden re-designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), which falls short of the FTO designation needed to implement full sanctions and has not deterred Houthi aggression.
See more of Daines’ work to strengthen our national security and support Israel HERE.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Rachel Dumke