WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), and 12 Republican colleagues introduced the Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act to redesignate Ansarallah, more commonly known as the Houthis, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) given their actions to destabilize the region, the security threat they pose to the U.S. and most recently, their involvement in the ongoing conflict in Israel, including attacks on Israel this week.
“If the Biden administration is serious about having Israel’s back, then the U.S. must designate Houthis for what they are, a foreign terrorist organization,” said Dr. Cassidy. “As terrorist organizations continue to wage war on Israel, we must stand with one of our greatest friend and ally.”
“The Biden administration needs to send a strong, decisive message to the Iranian regime that the U.S. will not stand idly by and watch Iran’s proxies try and destroy Israel. The unspeakable horrors that we have witnessed over the past several weeks have been at the hands of Iranian-backed terror groups. As the situation in Israel escalates and the Houthis insert themselves in the conflict, the U.S. must immediately redesignate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization and enforce sanctions that will help strengthen our national security and weaken terrorist organizations,” said Senator Daines.
On October 19, 2023, the U.S.S. Carney intercepted both cruise missiles and UAVs launched from Yemen by the Houthis. Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated the Houthis as an FTO on January 19, 2021. Approximately one month later, Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken revoked the FTO designation of the Houthis.
Cassidy and Daines were joined by U.S. Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Barrasso (R-WY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Katie Britt (R-AL) in introducing the bill.
Background
Earlier this week, Cassidy joined colleagues in urging the administration re-designate the Houthis as a FTO in a letter to Secretary Blinken.
###