Sen. Joni Ernst
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said Monday she plans to introduce a bipartisan bill to increase both criminal penalties and accountability for anyone who commits or attempts to commit violent crimes in the United States on behalf of foreign adversaries.
“Any person or organization that does the bidding of foreign adversaries on U.S. soil jeopardizes Americans’ safety,” said Sen. Ernst, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. “We must end the growing footprint of Tehran’s terrorism and deter this criminal behavior by ensuring it’s met with the full force of the justice system.”
Sen. Ernst, along with U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), will propose the Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE) Act.
Specifically, the bill will include provisions to boost sentences for offenders working with foreign adversaries, according to a summary provided by the senators.
Additionally, the measure would deter individuals and criminal organizations from carrying out violence on American soil, like murder-for-hire, threatening or assaulting current or former U.S. officials, kidnapping, and stalking, the summary says, by also increasing the maximum penalties available for stalking-related charges when done on behalf of a foreign government.
“Iran is bringing their reign of violence to our homeland, and bad actors helping the regime carry out its proxy terrorism must be met with consequences,” Sen. Ernst said.
Sen. Hassan added that lawmakers must do more to stop the “new and chilling set” of attempted crimes by U.S. foreign adversaries who are trying to silence their critics in the United States.
“Our upcoming bipartisan legislation will help ensure that those who commit or attempt these heinous acts face serious consequences and deter others from accepting offers to do the dirty work of foreign governments,” she said.