Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee Markup

Counterterrorism and Intelligence

2025-03-25

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This subcommittee meeting convened to consider 10 bills aimed at enhancing the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) coordination with law enforcement and combating evolving threats to the United States. The proceedings highlighted a strong bipartisan effort to address critical national security issues, ranging from foreign adversary tactics to domestic safety concerns.[ 00:33:21 ]

Countering Transnational Repression

The subcommittee addressed the growing threat of transnational repression through several bills, including HR 2158, HR 2139, and HR 2116. Transnational repression involves foreign governments, such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Iranian regime, targeting individuals on U.S. soil through violence, intimidation, and manipulation of legal processes to silence critics.[ 00:43:58-00:44:23 ]

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 Specific incidents mentioned included the CCP's illegal overseas police station in New York City and plots by Iran's Republican Guard. The legislation aims to authorize a dedicated DHS working group to analyze and monitor these threats, establish public awareness campaigns, and train state and local law enforcement to identify and investigate instances of repression.[ 00:44:59 ]

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Enhancing Law Enforcement Capabilities and Training

Bills like HR 2285, the DHS Basic Training Accreditation Improvement Act, seek to standardize and improve the quality of law enforcement training within DHS, the largest federal law enforcement agency. The DHS Intelligence Rotational Assignment Program and Law Enforcement Support Act (HR 2212) aims to improve information sharing and coordination among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial entities by codifying a rotational assignment program for DHS intelligence analysts.[ 00:58:08 ]

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 This addresses past struggles with effective information dissemination within DHS and among various agencies, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of threats.

Assessing and Mitigating Terrorism Threats

The subcommittee focused on assessing evolving terrorism threats through two key pieces of legislation.[ 00:32:29 ] These included the Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act (HR 1327) and the Generative A.I. Terrorism Risk Assessment Act (HR 1736). HR 1327 requires DHS to assess terrorist threats from individuals in Syria affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations, acknowledging Syria as a breeding ground for violent extremist groups. HR 1736 mandates annual assessments of terrorism threats posed by organizations using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for recruitment and radicalization, highlighting concerns about groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda leveraging AI to create convincing propaganda.

Special Event Security and Oversight

The DHS Special Events Program and Support Act (HR 1508) authorizes and improves the SEER (Special Event Assistant Rating) program, which coordinates risk assessments and security resources for high-profile public events nationwide, such as the Super Bowl and World Cup. Additionally, the Strengthening Oversight of DHS Intelligence Act (HR 2261) ensures that DHS intelligence sharing adheres to privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections, requiring reviews by chief privacy and civil rights officers and training for intelligence personnel. Concerns were raised regarding the potential shuttering of the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, emphasizing the ongoing need for these protections.

School Security

The National Strategy for School Security Act of 2025 (HR 2259) requires DHS to develop an annual national strategy for elementary and secondary school security.[ 01:04:44-01:04:47 ]

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 Prompted by events like the Uvalde shooting, this bill aims to improve federal coordination and provide a framework for school districts to develop and enhance their emergency plans, ensuring the safety of children nationwide.[ 01:04:50-01:06:15 ]

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Tone of the Meeting

The meeting maintained an overwhelmingly collaborative and bipartisan tone, with frequent expressions of gratitude for inter-party cooperation and coordination.[ 00:33:21 ] All 10 bills were passed by voice vote, demonstrating a strong consensus among members on the importance of these common-sense measures to safeguard American interests and homeland security. The Chair explicitly noted that the smooth passage of these bills set a positive example for other committees, indicating a commitment to productive, bipartisan legislative work.

Participants

Transcript

Quorum being present, the subcommittee will be in order.  Subcommittee is meeting today for consideration of 10 bills aimed at enhancing the Department of Homeland Security's coordination with all levels of law enforcement and combating the evolving threats from America's adversaries on US soil.   And these bills are HR 2158, the Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025, HR 2139, the Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Counter Transnational Repression Act, HR 2116, the Law Enforcement Support and Counter Transnational Repression Act,
HR 1327, the Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act.  HR 1508, the DHS Special Events Program and Support Act.
HR 2212, the DHS Intelligence Rotational Assignment Program and Law Enforcement Support Act.  HR 2285, the DHS Basic Training Accreditation Improvement Act.   and H.R.  2259, the National Strategy for School Security Act of 2025, H.R.  1736, the Generative A.I.
Terrorism Risk Assessment Act, and H.R.
2261, the Strengthening Oversight of D.H.
Intelligence Act.
Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare the subcommittee in recess at any point.  Pursuant to Committee Rule 7D, any requests for recorded votes may be postponed.
I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
Good afternoon and welcome to the first counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee markup of the 119th Congress.
And I want to begin by thanking the ranking member for his cooperation and coordination in preparing for this important subcommittee markup.
The bills my Republican colleagues and I offer today are timely and critical pieces of legislation that I believe all members of the committee   will rarely support.
I commend my colleagues for their essential and common sense measures, including the Law Enforcement Support and Transnational Repression Act, the Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act, and the National Strategy for School Security Act.
These bills deal with issues ranging from foreign terror threats to addressing the threat of transnational repression in the United States by the Chinese Communist Party and the Iranian regime, which has grown significantly in the last few years.
These bills also demonstrate an effort to further safeguard our homeland.
And I also want to thank our minority counterparts, both for their collaboration on the bills being considered today and for the measures they have put forward to counter terror threats and transnational oppression.  I'd now like to recognize the ranking member for an opening statement.
Thank you.  Today we're considering 10 bills that will make our country safer.  I want to thank Chairman Pflueger and his staff for their partnership in negotiating this bipartisan package of legislation and for starting the new Congress out on a bipartisan and productive note here in the subcommittee.  And I look forward to supporting all of the bills being marked up today.   Included in this bipartisan package are three bills to address the pressing challenge of transnational repression in the United States.  Journalists, activists, and political dissidents should not have to fear for their lives while on U.S.  soil.  And these bills will strengthen our ability to keep people safe from foreign nations who seek to do them harm   for exercising their right to free speech.  And I'll speak more on those bills, including my own, when we get to them.  Today, we're also going to consider the DHS Special Events Program and Support Act, introduced by former subcommittee member Dina Titus of Nevada, which will ensure that DHS may continue providing risk assessments and support to high-profile special events across the United States.  Events like the Super Bowl, Boston Marathon, and upcoming World Cup   require state and local officials to plan and manage complex security to respond to potential threats.  And Ms.  Titus's bill will ensure that DHS is authorized to continue that support work to those local officials protecting Americans and others at those events.  The strengthening oversight of DHS Intelligence Act is introduced by Mr. Hernandez of Puerto Rico.   is a common sense bill that requires the DHS Secretary and DHS Chiefs for Privacy and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to coordinate on ensuring that DHS intelligence is shared, retained, and disseminated in a manner that protects individuals' rights.  The DHS Basic Training Accreditation Improvement Act of 2025 is offered by Ms.  Poe of New Jersey.  It is an important bill because DHS is the largest   federal law enforcement agency, and her bill works to put all of DHS's law enforcement basic training programs on a path to accreditation.
Today, we will also consider six Republican-led bills.  These bills all enhance our homeland security and tackle evolving threats from terrorism,   Representative Luttrell's bill, the Syria Threat Assessment Act, focuses on countering bad actors in Syria, a hotbed for ISIS, and recruiting for a range of radical Islamic terrorists, generative artificial intelligence.  Representative McKenzie's bill, the DHS Intelligence Rotational Assignment Program and Law Enforcement Support Act,

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