Ahead of 25th Anniversary of 9/11, Peters Demands Trump Administration Preserve Records on the Dismantling, Politicization of Nation’s Counterterrorism Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the Department of State, demanding that they preserve all records related to the nation's counterterrorism efforts. Peters also sent a separate letter to the White House raising serious concerns about the Administration's counterterrorism priorities and calling for the release of a legally required assessment of domestic terrorism threats. The letters follow the release of Peters' report, Failure to Protect, which found that the Trump Administration has dismantled and politicized key aspects of America's counterterrorism infrastructure, including by diverting resources, cutting personnel, and dismantling programs dedicated to keeping our nation safe from terrorist attacks.

"In the aftermath of September 11th, Democrats and Republicans came together to build a counterterrorism system designed to prevent another catastrophic attack on our homeland," Peters said. "Now, as we prepare to mark twenty-five years since those tragic attacks, the Trump Administration has been reversing decades of progress by dismantling that system and diverting resources away from the genuine threats facing Americans. We need to preserve the records of these decisions so Congress can hold this Administration accountable and ultimately rebuild a counterterrorism system driven by facts, not politics, and focused on keeping Americans safe."

Earlier this summer, Peters released a report detailing how the Administration has dismantled key elements of the nation's post-9/11 security infrastructure, diverted personnel and resources away from preventing terrorist attacks, and increasingly wielded what remains against the Administration's perceived political opponents. The report found these actions have left the country less prepared to prevent and respond to terrorism while domestic and foreign terrorist threats remain elevated.

Peters' report found that the Administration has cut 15,000 positions across DOJ and the FBI and removed 1,300 personnel from DHS components responsible for preventing, countering, and responding to terrorism. It has also allowed nearly $1 billion in public safety and homeland security grants to be delayed or canceled, reassigned law enforcement officers, intelligence analysts, and attorneys away from counterterrorism and other national security responsibilities, and weakened or dismantled programs responsible for terrorism prevention, critical infrastructure security, weapons of mass destruction preparedness, and intelligence sharing.

In addition to demanding the Trump Administration abide by all records retention requirements related to its actions, Peters also urged the White House to release its annual strategic intelligence assessment on domestic terrorism, as required by a bipartisan law that Peters introduced in 2019, which requires the FBI and DHS to issue annual reports on domestic terrorism threats, related investigations and prosecutions, and how federal resources are being allocated. Since taking office, the Trump Administration has failed to provide Congress and the American people with the transparency required under the law.

Throughout his time in office, Peters has been a leader in ensuring the federal government adequately addresses both foreign and domestic terrorist threats to Americans. In 2019, Peters helped convene HSGAC's first domestic terrorism hearing focusing on white supremacist violence. He led the Senate's bipartisan investigation on the January 6th attack on the U.S Capitol and released a joint bipartisan report on the security, planning, and response failures causing this violence, as well as two additional reports on domestic terrorism and the intelligence failures that preceded the January 6th attack. As HSGAC Chair, Peters convened a hearing with experts focused on the threat of white supremacist extremism, and convened a two-part hearing with experts representing faith-based, civil rights, and academic and policy research organizations on the continued rise of domestic terrorism.

Click here to read Peters' full report on the Trump Administration's dismantling of U.S. counterterrorism infrastructure.

Click to read Peters' letters to the White House, DHS, DOJ, FBI, ODNI, and the State Department.

###

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet