Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. helped pass the Domestic Terror Prevention Act today. The bill, H.R. 350, creates offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor, investigate, and prosecute domestic terrorism cases. It establishes an interagency task force between these three agencies and the Department of Defense to combat white supremacist infiltration of uniformed services and federal law enforcement.
“The domestic terrorist attack on innocent African Americans at a supermarket in Buffalo last weekend should be a wake-up call to the country that we need to take domestic terrorism seriously,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. “These Americans were murdered while doing their grocery shopping. We need to investigate possible domestic terrorism threats and prosecute domestic terrorists who commit violent and horrible crimes to the fullest extent of the law. I am pleased that this bill will create three separate offices to handle domestic terrorism incidents and an interagency task force to deal with white supremacy in law enforcement. Domestic terrorism is the greatest threat to the safety and security of this country. We need a coordinated effort to stop future domestic terrorists before they commit heinous acts.”
On May 14, 2022, Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old white supremist, murdered 10 people and injured at least three more during a domestic terrorist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY. Gendron staged the attack based on a conspiracy theory that minorities are systematically replacing white Americans and drove around 200 miles to target a predominantly African-American supermarket.
In addition, the bill requires the DHS, DOJ, and the FBI to provide training and resources to assist state and local law enforcement agencies to detect and investigate acts of domestic terrorism and white supremacy. It codifies the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee to coordinate and promote information sharing between U.S. Attorneys and other public safety officials and ensures an effective joint response to combat domestic terrorism.
Original source can be found here.
