H.R. 8236

119 HR 8236 IH: Designating Hamas Affiliates in America Act of 2026
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-04-09
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 8236  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   April 9, 2026   Mr. Roy  (for himself,  Mr. Ogles ,  Mr. Higgins of Louisiana , and  Mr. Norman ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Foreign Affairs , and in addition to the Committee on  Ways and Means , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned   A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to list the Council on American-Islamic Relations and its chapter affiliates as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Designating Hamas Affiliates in America Act of 2026  .
2.
Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial. On appeal, U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis upheld CAIR’s co-conspirator status and ruled that the Department of Justice  produced ample evidence  of CAIR’s association with Hamas. Hamas is a U.S. designated terrorist organization established with the stated goal to destroy Israel and eradicate the Jewish people. On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and systematically raped, tortured, and killed innocent civilians, leading to a death toll of over 1,200 people, including Americans and other nationals, while taking over 240 hostages.
(2)
During the Holy Land Foundation trial, the largest terror finance case in U.S. history, prosecutors revealed that CAIR’s founders, Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmad, were part of the Islamic Association of Palestine, a Hamas propaganda front that raised money for the Holy Land Foundation charity. FBI wiretaps revealed that both men were present at a 1993 meeting in Philadelphia, where Hamas supporters discussed the need to establish a new Hamas front that could disguise its links to terrorism.
(3)
CAIR was founded a year after the Philadelphia meeting with seed money from the Holy Land Foundation charity and permission from Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood officials.
(4)
The U.S. Treasury Department listed the Holy Land Foundation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the charity’s senior leaders were found guilty of funneling more than $12 million to Hamas. Ghassan Elashi, a founding member of CAIR’s Texas chapter, was found guilty in 2009 of money laundering, tax fraud, and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and sentenced to 65 years in prison.
(5)
Ghassan Elashi is one of seven CAIR officials arrested, convicted, or deported for terrorism-related crimes, including:
(A)
Muthanna al-Hanooti, the founder and director of CAIR-Michigan, was convicted in 2011 of violating U.S. sanctions against Iraq when he secured the rights to 2 million barrels of oil in exchange for assisting the Iraqi Government under Saddam Hussein.
(B)
Nabil Sadoun, a former Dallas resident and CAIR board member, was deported to Jordan in 2010 and denied re-entry after the U.S. Government alleged that he lied on naturalization documents when he denied membership with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
(C)
Randall Todd (Ismail) Royer, a CAIR communications specialist and civil rights coordinator who trained with Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group, was indicted on charges of assisting Al Qaeda in the Taliban’s jihadist war against American troops in Afghanistan and sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 9, 2004.
(D)
Abdurahman Alamoudi, the director of CAIR-Northern Virginia, was sentenced in 2004 to 23-years in prison on terrorism-related financial and conspiracy charges, including his role in a Libyan government plot to assassinate the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
(E)
Bassem Khafagi, CAIR’s former community affairs director, who pleaded guilty in September 2003 to three Federal counts of visa and bank fraud and was deported to Egypt after he funneled money to support terrorist activities and published materials advocating for suicide bombings.
(F)
Rabih Haddad, a Michigan-based CAIR fundraiser, was arrested on terrorism-related charges and deported in 2003 for his work as the Executive Director of the Global Relief Foundation, a charity that was shut down and listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in October 2002 for providing support to Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups.
(6)
The Governors of Texas and Florida have issued executive orders designating CAIR as a terrorist organization under state law. Multiple State Legislatures, including Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana, have passed resolutions urging state agencies and law enforcement to suspend contact with CAIR due to its alleged affiliations with terrorist groups.
(7)
The United Arab Emirates, a close Middle Eastern ally, designated CAIR as a terrorist entity in 2014 over its alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
(8)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has suspended all non-investigative contacts with CAIR due to evidence demonstrating a relationship between CAIR and Hamas.
(9)
The Anti-Defamation League, a respected Jewish rights group, maintains that  key CAIR leaders often traffic in openly antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.  In 2019, 61 Jewish and pro-Israel organizations endorsed a report referring to CAIR as  a leading voice  in the antisemtic boycott campaign targeting Israel.
(10)
Hospitality providers in several states, including Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, have canceled hotel conferences hosted by CAIR and its partners, citing public opposition and reputational risks associated with CAIR and its scheduled speakers. In February 2024, U.S. Representative Summer Lee withdrew from a CAIR fundraiser in Philadelphia after facing an intense backlash related to other speakers’ antisemtic and homophobic comments.
(11)
The Biden Administration publicly disavowed CAIR and ended its outreach with the nonprofit after Executive Director Nihad Awad told an audience at a Palestine convention that he was  happy to see  the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.
(12)
Zainab Chaudry, Executive Director of CAIR-Maryland, was suspended from the state’s Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention for social media posts comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and accusing Israelis of harvesting the corpses of dead Palestinians. Chaudry’s replacement on the hate crimes panel, Aymen Nasser—who was also a member of CAIR’s Maryland chapter—was forced to resign for antisemtic and homophobic social media posts. In response, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation banning private organizations like CAIR from serving on the Commission.
(13)
Zahra Billoo, the leader of CAIR’s San Francisco Bay Area branch, publicly mourned the death of Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh following his July 31, 2024, assassination in the Iranian capital of Tehran, declaring  his martyrdom is not in vain.  During a 2021 speech to radical anti-Israel activists, Billoo encouraged the audience to  pay attention to the polite Zionists  and Jewish community groups that seek to  break bread  with their Muslim neighbors.
(14)
Designating entities as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order 13224 (September 23, 2001) allows the United States to block assets and prohibit transactions to disrupt terrorist financing and activities.
(15)
Such designations are necessary to protect national security interests by preventing support for terrorism under the guise of civil rights advocacy.
3.
Designation as a specially designated global terrorist
(a)
Designation
The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, shall designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (hereinafter in this Act referred to as  CAIR ), including all its chapters, affiliates, and successors, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to section 1 of Executive Order 13224 ( 50 U.S.C. 1701  note; relating to blocking property and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism).
(b)
Actions required
Upon designation under subsection (a)—
(1)
all assets of CAIR within the jurisdiction of the United States shall be blocked;
(2)
no United States person (as defined in section 594.315 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (or any corresponding similar regulation or ruling)) may engage in any transaction with CAIR; and
(3)
CAIR shall be added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury.
(c)
Revocation of tax-Exempt status
Pursuant to  section 501(p)  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 ( 26 U.S.C. 501(p) ), the Secretary of the Treasury shall suspend the tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of such Code ( 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) ) of CAIR, including all its chapters and affiliates.
4.
Report to congress
(a)
Report required
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress—
(1)
a detailed report of CAIR, including the criteria met for designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist set forth in U.S. Executive Order 13224; and
(2)
If the Secretary determines that CAIR does not meet the criteria set forth under such Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met.
(b)
Form
The report required by subsection (a) shall—
(1)
be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex; and
(2)
be made available only in electronic form and shall not be printed, except if a printed copy is requested by an office of the legislative branch.
(c)
Appropriate committees of congress defined
In this section, the term  appropriate committees of Congress  means—
(1)
the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and
(2)
the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.