Ernst, Hassan Bill to Strengthen Penalties for Foreign-Directed Crimes Passes Senate
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan’s (D-N.H.) DETERRENCE Act successfully passed the Senate with unanimous support.
This legislation will increase criminal penalties for individuals who commit, or attempt to commit, violent crimes in the United States on behalf of foreign adversaries. It will hold offenders accountable and deter criminals and criminal organizations from taking money from foreign adversaries in exchange for committing crimes on American soil.
“The Senate has taken action to ensure any bad actor thinks twice before working with our adversaries or messing with any of our citizens,” said Ernst. “The bipartisan DETERRENCE Act will create severe consequences for anyone helping carry out Iran’s malign mission of ‘death to America’ and deter any criminal organization targeting Americans on our own soil. As Tehran ramps up their aggression, including by targeting President Trump, there must be no delay in making this critical legislation law.”
“It is unacceptable that foreign adversaries are working with criminal organizations in the United States to kill people on American soil,” said Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will strengthen criminal penalties on gangs and criminals who engage in violent behavior on behalf of a foreign government. The Senate has sent a clear message that we will not tolerate this outrageous behavior, and I urge my colleagues in the House to quickly pass it so that it can become law.”
The DETERRENCE Act increases criminal penalties for the following federal crimes when the crimes are committed under U.S. jurisdiction on behalf of foreign governments, including:
- Engaging in a murder-for-hire scheme
- Murdering or attempting to murder certain federal officials, including Presidents-elect
- Murdering or attempting to murder certain former federal officials, or their families, because of their official actions
- Assaulting certain former federal officials, or their families, because of their official actions
- Kidnapping or attempted kidnapping
- Threats of violence using a dangerous weapon against certain current and former federal officials, as well as their families, because of their official actions
- Stalking
Background:
In September 2024, Ernst and Hassan called on the DOJ to take action and stop foreign actors, including the Iranian regime, from carrying out criminal activity on our soil.
Ernst has been working to halt Iran’s threat to Americans and crack down on their funding of crimes in the United States.
She also exposed the Biden-Harris administration for funding Iran’s terrorism through endless appeasement and demanded action to stop Iranian crime on U.S. soil.
Ernst is leading the PUNISH Act to enforce “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran until the State Department can certify that Iran has not supported any attempt in the last five years to kill a U.S. citizen or a former or current U.S. official.
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