WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, after Congress’ vote on H.R. 350, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) released the following statement:

“Unfortunately, tonight, Democratic leadership made changes to the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act – a bill that I originally cosponsored and previously voted for. The bill, which was supposed to be voted on weeks ago, had been pulled from floor consideration due to objections by the far-left Members of “The Squad.” The changes, which were made in order to accommodate this small far-left group, include a last minute change to the original definition of domestic terrorism and a rule of construction that would give DOJ too much leeway in picking and choosing what it considers to constitute domestic terrorism. These changes were made by one person without any debate or consultation with supporters of the original bill. This change opens the door to a potentially troubling subjective standard in the implementation of the legislation, and ultimately strays away from the intent and objectivity of the original introduced version. The House unanimously passed the original version of this bill last Congress. In making these changes, Democratic leadership has pushed the bill away from its original, bipartisan text and instead chose a single-party solution in an effort to appease the Far Left. They knew in advance that making changes to appease “The Squad” would cost them bipartisan support. The serious issue of domestic terrorism deserves a bipartisan solution, which I will continue to insist on.”

###