White House Releases National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism

The Biden administration recently released its National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, which includes plans to combat domestic terrorism in the United States through interagency collaboration, hiring new personnel, and updating the screening process to remove extremism from government.

Domestic terrorism has received increased attention from homeland security agencies as threats evolve. President Biden’s new national strategy states that as the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) searches for new positions to fill in sensitive areas, they may request more information to “assist investigators in identifying potential domestic terrorism threats.”

The White House said in the strategy, “This effort can help to ensure that new applicants and employees undergoing re–investigations are abiding by legal obligations, including in providing candid and forthright representations, and to prevent individuals who pose domestic terrorism threats from being placed in positions of trust.”

The strategy allocates funding to various departments to help them confront the threat of domestic terrorism. For example, more than $100 million is directed for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to hire more attorneys and agents to combat threats. DHS also plans to distribute $77 million to state, local and tribal governments to root out domestic extremism.

Several other agencies will also see their responsibilities grow with the implementation of the new strategy. For instance, the Department of State and Department of the Treasury will be tasked with reviewing existing organizations and deciding if any of them qualify as domestic terrorist organizations. Agencies are also directed to create new threat assessment tools that the private sector can use to identify domestic terror threats.

The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) applauded the Biden administration for its effort to hinder the threat of domestic extremism and called on the administration to make domestic terrorism a specific federal crime. Brian O’Hare, FBIAA president, said, “Making domestic terrorism a federal crime would not result in the targeting of specific ideas or groups. Rather, it would target acts of violence that have no place in the political discourse secured by our Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

President Biden said of the new strategy, “This is a project that should unite all Americans. Together we must affirm that domestic terrorism has no place in our society. We must work to root out the hatreds that can too often drive violence.”