WASHINGTON D.C. ––The House Committee on Homeland Security will hold a markup on April 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET, to consider legislation that would counter evolving terror threats, confront destabilizing activity by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on U.S. soil, including transnational repression and cyber intrusions, and combat fentanyl smuggling at ports of entry.
 
DETAILS:
 
What: A House Committee on Homeland Security markup entitled “Countering Threats of Terrorism and from the CCP.”
 
When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET
 
Where: 310 Cannon House Office Building
 
Watch: The markup will be livestreamed here and will be open to the public and press. Press must be congressionally credentialed and should RSVP in advance. 
 
Legislation to be considered includes:

• H.R. 275, the “Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2024,” introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
• H.R. 881, the “DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes Act,” introduced by Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX)
• H.R. 1327, the “Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act,” introduced by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX)
• H.R. 1569, “CATCH Fentanyl Act,” introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) 
• H.R. 1608, “DHS Vehicular Terrorism Prevention and Mitigation Act,” introduced by Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL)
• H.R. ___, “Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act,” introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN)
• H.R. 2158, “Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025,” introduced by Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX)
• H.R. 2116, the “Law Enforcement Support and Counter Transnational Repression Act,” introduced by Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO)
• H.R. 2139, the “Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Combat Transnational Repression,” introduced by Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI)
• H.R. 1508, “DHS Special Events Program and Support Act,” introduced by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)
• H.R.820, the “Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening Enhancement Act,” introduced by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
• H.R. 2285, “DHS Basic Training Accreditation Improvement Act of 2025,” introduced by Rep. Nellie Pou (D-NJ)
   

BACKGROUND: 

Representative Greene’s “Special Interest Alien Reporting Act” would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to publish the number of special interest aliens (SIA) encounters each month publicly. An SIA is a non-U.S. person who, based on an analysis of travel patterns, potentially poses a national security risk to the United States or U.S. interests. Under the Biden-Harris administration, DHS recorded an unprecedented number of SIAs and aliens from outside the Western Hemisphere crossing our borders, including individuals from adversarial nations like China, Iran, and Russia. In a House Homeland Security Committee hearing last Congress, former chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector Aaron Heitke testified, “I was told I could not release any information on this increase.” This legislation was introduced and advanced out of Committee last Congress.
 
Last month, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Chairman Pfluger reintroduced the “Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025,” which would create a dedicated transnational repression office in DHS to ensure the federal government takes steps to recognize, assess, and counter threats from foreign authoritarian regimes or an agent of a foreign government against American citizens or lawful permanent residents. Representative Evans reintroduced the “Law Enforcement Support and Counter Transnational Repression Act,” which would help educate communities about transnational repression, increase visibility, and better connect victims with federal support through a hotline for this specific threat. In April 2024, both bills were advanced out of Committee. Read Chairman Pfluger’s op-ed in The Washington Times. Read an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal by Dr. Bob Fu, a CCP dissident living in Chairman Pfluger’s district.

In February, Representative Luttrell introduced the “Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act,” legislation enhancing DHS counterterrorism efforts by requiring an evaluation of the threat posed to the United States by individuals in Syria with ties to Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) or a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization (STGT). Cosponsors of the legislation include Chairman Pfluger and Rep. Ogles.
 
The “Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act” would establish an interagency task force, led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to address the widespread cybersecurity threats posed by state-sponsored cyber actors associated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Prominent threats include ‘Volt Typhoon’ and the recently discovered PRC-affiliated cyber actor, ‘Salt Typhoon,’ that targeted U.S. telecommunications providers. The legislation was unanimously advanced out of the Committee and passed by the House of Representatives last Congress.

In February, Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Gimenez and House Committee on Homeland Security 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. The bill comes on the heels of the horrific, ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day and would require 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.

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