WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, and Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) introduced the “Department of Homeland Security Vehicular Terrorism Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2025,” legislation to address the rising threat vehicular terrorism poses to the homeland.

Watch Subcommittee Chairman Gimenez discuss the bill on NewsNation. 

This legislation comes on the heels of the horrific, ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. The legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct an annual report on emerging threats and countermeasures related to vehicular terrorism. Individuals on U.S. soil are increasingly being radicalized to commit violence against Americans, frequently through ISIS publications and propaganda, with vehicular-ramming attacks emerging as a significant and growing method.

“The horrific ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans makes tragically clear how vehicles are weaponized as instruments of terror,” Chairman Gimenez said. “DHS must take actionable steps to counter the gross proliferation of vehicular threats and share the findings of its assessment with Congress and the American people. I am proud to introduce this bill and encourage my colleagues to prioritize its advancement as we continue to mourn the loss of 14 innocent lives on New Year’s Day.” 

“I thank Chairman Gimenez for introducing legislation to address an emerging threat facing our nation by homegrown violent extremists, often inspired by ISIS,” Chairman Green said. “DHS must take seriously the rising occurrences of vehicle-ramming terrorist attacks like the one we saw on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. In order to protect the American people, we must adapt to threats as they evolve with new technology and capabilities. I look forward to advancing this critical bill through the House.”

Background:

On January 1, Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck at high speed down a crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans in an ISIS-inspired, premeditated terrorist attack, which tragically took the lives of 14 people and injured dozens more. In the hours before the attack, Jabbar posted several videos online proclaiming his support for ISIS and describing his planned vehicular attack.

The attack underscores the real threat of Homegrown Violent Extremists, which the Committee warned about extensively in its October 2024 “Terror Threat Snapshot” assessment. On January 22, the Committee released an updated “Snapshot” highlighting the persistent terror threat to America, the West, and the world from foreign jihadist networks like ISIS and other terrorists.

In October 2017, Sayfullo Saipov drove a rented pickup truck down a crowded bike path in New York City, killing eight people and injuring 11 in the deadliest terror attack in the city since September 11, 2001. Saipov was motivated by ISIS and, throughout his trial, maintained allegiance and dedication to the terrorist organization, which praised Saipov as an Islamic State soldier. 

Vehicle-ramming attacks are not isolated to the United States. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in these attacks in the West following an attack in Nice, France, in 2016 on Bastille Day. 
 

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