Congress is accelerating efforts to officially designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, signaling a significant policy shift as momentum surges in the wake of President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the Middle East. With Republican majorities in both chambers and key allies in the region urging action, the designation appears closer than ever.
Lawmakers and national security experts say Trump’s highly successful Gulf tour reignited long-standing concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood’s global operations, its deep ideological roots in violent jihad, and its financial networks tied to U.S.-designated terror groups.
The renewed push was sparked, in part, by a closed-door briefing held last month by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). The meeting outlined specific legal and legislative strategies to cripple the Brotherhood’s influence and infrastructure in the United States.
Although past attempts to sanction the Brotherhood faltered, including during Trump’s first term, the current political climate and international alignment may offer the clearest path yet. Several Arab nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Syria, already classify the Brotherhood as a terrorist group and have pressed the United States to follow suit.
A senior Republican official involved in counterterror policy explained, “There are several legal mechanisms on the table—whether as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) or a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). Either would allow us to target their leadership, cut off their financial networks, and legally sanction their operations. What matters most is that we finally act.”
Support from key Arab partners has added international weight to the effort. One senior Middle Eastern official noted that nations across the region would welcome the U.S. taking decisive action, particularly in light of recent violence tied to Brotherhood-affiliated groups.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a longtime advocate for the Brotherhood’s designation, emphasized its foundational role in global jihad.
“The Muslim Brotherhood uses political violence to achieve ideological goals. Its Palestinian wing, Hamas, just carried out the most horrific massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7—killing and abducting Americans in the process,” said Cruz. “The Biden administration allowed the Brotherhood to expand its reach. The Trump administration, backed by a Republican Congress, must now shut the door on this threat.”
Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA), who sits on the Homeland Security Subcommittee, echoed that urgency. “Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization is long overdue. Peace through strength is back in the White House, and this is our opportunity to send a clear message: the U.S. will no longer tolerate ideological subversion or the financing of terror.”
The Brotherhood’s ties to Qatar remain a central concern. While the Qatari branch was formally disbanded in 1999, experts warn that the group’s ideology and networks remain deeply embedded in Qatari society, aided by the regime itself.
Charles Asher Small, ISGAP’s executive director, directly linked the Brotherhood’s global agenda to recent violence in the U.S. and abroad.
“The violent unrest we are witnessing – including vandalism, threats, and attacks—is part of the Brotherhood’s decades-long plan to destabilize the West from within,” Small said. “Hamas, responsible for the atrocities of October 7, is the Palestinian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their ideology of antisemitism and violent jihad is being actively supported and financed by Qatar.”
As the legislative groundwork nears completion, observers believe the designation could come through Congress or the State Department, both of which are exploring mechanisms to enact sweeping sanctions against the Brotherhood’s affiliates and financial backers.
With the Biden administration’s passive stance behind them and growing public alarm over rising antisemitism and Islamist threats, Republican lawmakers appear poised to act.
