Sponsors (21)
Introduced January 21, 2025 by Steve Daines · Last progress January 21, 2025
The bill gives U.S. authorities stronger and faster tools to disrupt Ansarallah and improve allied coordination, but risks humanitarian harm, restrictions on Yemeni nationals, rushed or politicized designations, and potential costs or retaliation.
Federal agencies, allied partners, and Americans benefit because the bill authorizes freezing/blocking Ansarallah assets and barring its members/affiliates from U.S. entry, reducing the group's ability to fund and carry out attacks and limiting their movement.
State governments, federal policymakers, and allied governments benefit because the bill documents specific attacks and provides clearer congressional findings, improving threat assessment, interagency decision-making, and intelligence-sharing to better protect energy infrastructure and U.S. interests.
Federal agencies and enforcement personnel benefit because the bill provides clearer legal authorities and a defined 90-day timeline to target and sanction Ansarallah, potentially speeding enforcement and making actions more decisive.
Taxpayers and U.S. service members could face higher costs and greater risks because the bill's findings and potential follow-on sanctions or military measures may lead to increased expenditures or deployments.
Humanitarian organizations and vulnerable Yemeni civilians could be harmed because broad or hastily imposed sanctions and blocked financial channels may hinder delivery of aid to those in need.
Yemeni nationals, refugees, and immigrant communities may face travel and immigration restrictions because broad entry bans could sweep in individuals with distant or indirect ties to the group.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Secretary of State to designate Ansarallah (the Houthis) as an FTO and directs the President to impose blocking and immigration-entry sanctions within 90 days.
Requires the Secretary of State to designate Ansarallah (the Houthis) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization within 90 days and directs the President to impose specified sanctions within 90 days on the group and on foreign persons who are members, agents, affiliates, or owned/controlled by the group. The mandated sanctions include blocking of property and transaction restrictions under existing counterterrorism authorities and immigration/entry restrictions as they applied on January 19, 2021, for nationals of Yemen.