Ernst pushes for more comprehensive efforts to counter violent extremism

After the White House’s release of an updated plan for local authorities to combat extremism, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) voiced disappointment recently with the administration’s lack of progress in countering violent extremism.

Ernst, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, also cited the administration’s failure to draft a comprehensive strategy to counter the use of social media by terrorist groups.

“It is shocking that after multiple attacks on U.S. soil, the Obama administration appears to be at the very beginning stages of a coordinated effort to counter violent extremism,” Ernst said. “Its updated Strategic Implementation Plan includes tasks such as cataloging existing countering violent extremism (CVE) research, identifying promising CVE programs and inventorying initiatives relevant to CVE. The fact that these basic initial tasks have yet to be completed is unfathomable and quite frankly, unacceptable.”

Despite the fact that a 2011 version of the White House’s Strategic Implementation Plan committed to the development of a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorists’ use of social media, Ernst said, the administration has still not done so.

“Accordingly, earlier this year, I joined U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in introducing the Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act of 2016, which passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously in February and now awaits full Senate consideration,” Ernst said. “At a time of continued threats and attacks, we simply cannot afford to delay.”

The measure would require the president to report on the use of social media by terrorist organizations and to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat it.

U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sponsored a House version of the bill.