Nashville Standard

WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) criticized the Biden Administration for removing the Houthis from the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list, accusing them of emboldening the group and inadvertently funding terrorism. In a hearing, Hagerty expressed his concerns about the consequences of this decision, stating, “Shortly after the Biden Administration took office, they delisted the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. We saw what’s happened in the time in between. There have been attacks on our allies at [United Arab Emirates], attacks on our allies at the Saudis, we’ve seen attacks on U.S. personnel, and our facilities in the Middle East, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of unrest since that time.”

During the hearing, Hagerty questioned Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking about the Trump Administration's designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Lenderking defended the decision to remove the group from the list, citing progress in the peace process as a result. However, Hagerty pressed further, asking, “What do the Houthis have to do to be declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization? Do they have to kill Americans?” Lenderking responded by mentioning efforts to disrupt the group's financial networks.

Hagerty raised concerns about American taxpayer dollars potentially supporting the Houthi's terrorist activities, stating, “Can you guarantee that American taxpayer dollars have not aided the Houthis, directly or indirectly, in carrying out the recent terrorist attacks that are disrupting supply chains and raising prices for U.S. taxpayers?” Lenderking was unable to provide a guarantee, prompting Hagerty to call for accountability, saying, “Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken could not answer me either when I asked him about the foreign aid that’s going into Gaza and that’s being diverted by Hamas. Please, please address this.”

The exchange between Senator Hagerty and Special Envoy Lenderking highlighted the ongoing concerns regarding the Biden Administration's handling of the Houthi group and the potential unintended consequences of their decisions in the Middle East. Hagerty's remarks underscored the importance of ensuring that American policies do not inadvertently support terrorist organizations and contribute to instability in the region.