GOP Leaders Stall Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Act

Eighty members of Congress, including two Democrats, now support the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, with one more congressman and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee signing up since the last update. There’s only one problem: The Republican leadership is stalling it, even though the House version passed the Judiciary Committee.

The two new cosponsors are Senator David Perdue (R-GA) and Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA). The former is especially significant because he is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where it is held up. A list of cosponsors and opponents is available at the bottom of this article.

Terrorism expert Patrick Poole writes that the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker (R-TN), has not even held hearings on the bill, much less arranged for it to be voted on. Corker is reportedly being vetted as a potential running mate for Donald Trump.

The story is even more discouraging in the House, where support for the bill was proven when it passed the Judiciary Committee. Yet, Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy have not given any public indication that he’ll have the House vote on it.

“There really is no good reason why GOP leadership should continue blocking these bills from coming to the floor. Our closest allies, namely Egypt, Israel and Jordan, are taking action against the Muslim Brotherhood. As the Brotherhood rank-and-file in Egypt escalate terror attacks, and Brotherhood militias openly ally with Ansar al-Sharia in Libya and other affiliates across the Middle East become more militant, we should not be giving them aid and refuge while our allies actively fight them,” Poole told Clarion Project.

Four organizations representing persecuted Christians are also pushing for the bill.

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