Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act

Download PDF
Bill ID: 119/hr/1327
Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Sponsored by

Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8]

ID: L000603

Follow the money

The bill

Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act

HR. 1327, 119th Congress — read as touching Defense Contractors.

The sponsor

Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$104,334 raised

24 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

70% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Department of Homeland Security" section, p. 183-185 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

November 19, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed House

Senate Review

📍 Current Status

Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece from the esteemed members of Congress, brought to you by the same geniuses who thought the Iraq War was a great idea and that the Patriot Act wouldn't be used to spy on American citizens.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act (HR 1327) is a bill that claims to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a threat assessment of terrorist threats posed by individuals in Syria affiliated with Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organizations. Wow, what a mouthful! It's like they're trying to win an award for Most Buzzwords Used in a Single Sentence.

In reality, this bill is just another excuse for Congress to pretend to care about national security while actually doing nothing concrete to address the issue. The "threat assessment" will likely be a watered-down report that tells us what we already know: there are bad people in Syria who don't like America. What a shocking revelation!

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to:

1. Conduct a threat assessment (yawn) within 60 days of enactment. 2. Identify individuals in Syria affiliated with terrorist organizations (because that's not already being done). 3. Provide a briefing to Congress on the assessment (where they'll likely fall asleep or check their phones).

The bill also defines some terms, like "foreign terrorist organization" and "specially designated global terrorist organization," because apparently, these concepts are too complex for our lawmakers to understand without explicit definitions.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** This bill affects:

1. The Secretary of Homeland Security (who'll have to waste time on this assessment). 2. Congress (who'll get to pretend they're doing something about terrorism). 3. Lobbyists and special interest groups (who'll use this bill as an excuse to push their own agendas).

**Potential Impact & Implications:** The potential impact of this bill is zero, zilch, nada. It's a feel-good measure designed to make Congress look like they're doing something about terrorism without actually addressing the root causes or implementing meaningful solutions.

In reality, this bill will:

1. Waste taxpayer dollars on unnecessary bureaucratic exercises. 2. Provide a false sense of security for Americans who think their government is actually doing something to protect them. 3. Give politicians an excuse to grandstand and pretend they're tough on terrorism.

Diagnosis: This bill suffers from a severe case of " Politician-itis," a disease characterized by a complete lack of substance, a plethora of buzzwords, and a desperate attempt to appear relevant in the face of actual problems. Treatment: Ignore this bill and focus on real solutions that address the root causes of terrorism. But hey, who needs actual solutions when you can just pass meaningless legislation and pretend to care?

Related Topics

National Security & Intelligence
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$104,334
17 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$12,400
Committees
$0
Individuals
$91,934

No PAC contributions found

1
ALABAMA-COUSHATTA TRIBE
2 transactions
$6,600
2
TIGUA INDIAN RES.-YSLETA DEL SUR PUEBLO
2 transactions
$5,800

No committee contributions found

1
LUCKEY, PALMER
3 transactions
$9,900
2
JOHNSON, MICHAEL
2 transactions
$6,870
3
GRIFFIN, KENNETH
1 transaction
$6,600
4
SINGER, PAUL
1 transaction
$6,600
5
STEDMAN, STUART
1 transaction
$6,600
6
FISHER, KENNETH
1 transaction
$6,600
7
FISHER, SHERRILYN
1 transaction
$6,600
8
ERICKSON, MARILYN
1 transaction
$6,600
9
WEBER, SCOTT
1 transaction
$6,600
10
LACY, KATE
2 transactions
$6,600
11
GONSOULIN, AL
2 transactions
$6,600
12
GANNAWAY, BERRY
1 transaction
$5,000
13
NUCHE, JEFF
1 transaction
$4,164
14
BLAIR, NELDA
1 transaction
$3,300
15
JUNEAU, MELISSA
1 transaction
$3,300

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 3 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Rep. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN-5]

ID: O000175

Top Contributors

10

1
WINTERSTEEN, JAMES
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualMILL VALLEY, CA
$13,200
Jun 27, 2024
2
FISHER, KENNETH L.
FISHER INVESTMENTS • EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
IndividualPLANO, TX
$6,600
May 23, 2024
3
FISHER, SHERRILYN
PLANO 6500 LLC • MEMBER
IndividualPLANO, TX
$6,600
May 23, 2024
4
RAMSEY, DAVE
RAMSEY • CEO
IndividualCOLLEGE GROVE, TN
$6,600
Jul 27, 2024
5
MOSING, GREG
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualBROUSSARD, LA
$6,600
Jul 24, 2024
6
SHOCKLEY, QIANG
QIANG SHOCKLEY • TECHNICIAN
IndividualIRVINE, CA
$6,600
Jun 8, 2023
7
BEAMAN, LEE MR.
BEAMAN VENTURES • INVESTOR
IndividualNASHVILLE, TN
$6,600
Apr 13, 2023
8
GUO, MING
INTEL INC • MANAGER
IndividualCUPERTINO, CA
$6,600
Jun 2, 2023
9
KENNINGER, STEVEN
QMO LLC • INVESTOR
IndividualAUSTIN, TX
$6,600
Sep 25, 2023
10
JAQUISH, GAIL
JURIX, INC. • PSYCHOLOGIST
IndividualAUSTIN, TX
$6,600
Sep 26, 2023

Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11]

ID: P000048

Top Contributors

10

1
SYCUAN BAND OF THE KUMEYAAY NATION
OrganizationEL CAJON, CA
$3,300
Apr 18, 2024
2
SYCUAN BAND OF THE KUMEYAAY NATION
OrganizationEL CAJON, CA
$3,300
Jun 30, 2023
3
ALABAMA-COUSHATTA TRIBE
OrganizationLIVINGSTON, TX
$1,000
Sep 27, 2024
4
DIMEMMO, COLETTE
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualFORT MYERS, FL
$6,600
Oct 24, 2024
5
PUDWILL, JAMES
IndividualNIPOMO, CA
$6,600
Sep 16, 2024
6
GELBMAN, JOEL
IndividualNAPLES, FL
$6,600
Sep 16, 2024
7
GELBMAN, JOEL
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualNAPLES, FL
$6,600
Aug 26, 2024
8
PUDWILL, JAMES
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualNIPOMO, CA
$6,600
Aug 3, 2024
9
WILSON, CELIA R
OIL AND GAS • SELF-EMPLOYED
IndividualMIDLAND, TX
$5,800
Mar 31, 2024
10
WILSON, CELIA R
SELF • OIL AND GAS
IndividualMIDLAND, TX
$5,800
Apr 9, 2024

Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]

ID: C001110

Top Contributors

10

1
AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
COMWASHINGTON, DC
$500
Jun 14, 2024
2
SANTA YENEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationSANTA YNEZ, CA
$5,000
Aug 19, 2024
3
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationLOS ANGELES, CA
$3,300
Aug 13, 2024
4
AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA INDIANS
OrganizationPALM SPRINGS, CA
$3,300
Dec 18, 2023
5
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
May 25, 2023
6
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
May 25, 2023
7
HABEMATOLEL POMO OF UPPER LAKE
OrganizationUPPER LAKE, CA
$3,300
Sep 15, 2023
8
SHINGLE SPRINGS BAND MIWOK INDIANS
OrganizationSHINGLE SPRINGS, CA
$2,000
Sep 26, 2024
9
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationBANNING, CA
$2,000
Apr 22, 2024
10
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationBANNING, CA
$2,000
Sep 15, 2023

Donor Network - Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 60 nodes and 33 connections (64 secondary connections hidden)

Total contributions: $147,134

Top Donors - Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8]

Showing top 17 donors by contribution amount

2 Orgs15 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 4 helped.

  • +Defense Contractorsconfidence 0.80

    Section 2(a) requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a threat assessment, which may involve contracting with defense contractors for intelligence and security services.

  • +Cybersecurityconfidence 0.70

    Section 2(a)(2)(C)(i) mentions the capability of the Department of Homeland Security to identify, track, and monitor individuals, which may involve cybersecurity measures and services from cybersecurity companies.

  • Section 2(a) requires coordination with law enforcement agencies, which may benefit companies providing surveillance technology and services to these agencies.

  • Section 2(a)(2)(D)(ii) discusses preventing individuals from entering the United States, which may involve detention facilities operated by private prison companies.

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Department of Homeland Security

Moderate
Vector: 63%
Pages: 183-185AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"HR 1327 focuses on threat assessment of terrorist affiliations in Syria, which aligns with Project 2025's emphasis on national security and immigration enforcement, but does not directly implement specific DHS policies like work authorization limits, asylum agreements, or detention mandates outlined in the Project 2025 section."

Key themes:national securityterrorism threat assessmentDepartment of Homeland Securityimmigration enforcementinteragency coordination

— 151 — Department of Homeland Security l Employment authorization. Along with the legislative proposal, take regulatory action to limit the classes of aliens eligible for work authorization. Executive Orders l Pathways for border crossers 1. Direct the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Northern Triangle Countries immediately. 2. Recommence negotiations with Mexico to fully implement the Remain in Mexico Protocols. 3. Reinstate, to the extent possible, expedited pathways with full credible fear/immigration court process (PACR and HARP). 4. Prohibit the use of Notices to Report, the use of any funds for travel into the interior of the United States, and government flights or transportation for aliens. 5. Mandate that ICE use all detention space in full compliance with Section 235 of the INA, issue weekly reports on detention capacity, and provide authority for low-level temporary capacity (for example, tents) once permanent space is full. 6. Eliminate the use of ATD for border crossers except in rare cases and only with the explicit authority of the Secretary. 7. Prohibit the use of parole except in matters that are certified by the Secretary of Homeland Security as requiring action for humanitarian or significant public benefit reasons, and prohibit the use of parole in any categorical circumstance. l Enforcement 1. Restrict prosecutorial discretion to eliminate it as a “catch-all” excuse for limiting immigration enforcement. 2. Mandate the use of E-Verify for anyone doing business with the government. — 152 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 3. Designate USCIS as Intelligence Community–adjacent, ensuring that it has access to national security and law enforcement databases. 4. Rescind all memoranda limiting enforcement of immigration laws including those identifying sensitive zones. 5. End ICE’s widespread use of termination and administrative closure of cases in immigration court. l Averting or curtailing a mass migration event 1. Provide that whenever the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that an actual or anticipated mass migration of aliens en route to or arriving off the coast of the U.S. presents urgent circumstances requiring an immediate federal response, the Secretary may make, subject to the approval of the President, rules and regulations prohibiting in whole or in part the introduction of persons from such countries or places as he or she shall designate in order to avert or curtail such mass migration and for such period of time as is deemed necessary, including through the expulsion of such aliens. Such rule and regulation making shall not be subject to the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act. 2. Provide that notwithstanding any other provision of law, when the Secretary makes such a determination and then promulgates, subject to the approval of the President, such rules and regulations, the Secretary shall have the authority to waive all legal requirements of Title 8 that the Secretary, in his or her sole discretion, determines are necessary to avert or curtail the mass migration. Subregulatory Matters l USCIS priorities/structural changes 1. Ensure that focus is returned to vetting, base eligibility of applicants, and fraud detection. 2. Realign the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) to ensure agencywide consistency on implementation of fraud detection and vetting policies. 3. Review and repeal any internal agency memo that is inconsistent with the priorities described in this chapter.

Department of Homeland Security

Moderate
Vector: 61%
Pages: 189-191AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"Both the bill and the Project 2025 excerpt fall under the Department of Homeland Security and address national security concerns, but the bill focuses on a specific Syria terrorism threat assessment while the policy excerpt centers on internal DHS agency reforms (USSS, TSA). This yields moderate thematic overlap."

Key themes:Department of Homeland Securitynational securityterrorism threat assessmentinteragency coordination

— 157 — Department of Homeland Security to such returnees. These two steps could be foundational for any improvements in the recruiting process. U.S. SECRET SERVICE (USSS) Needed Reforms The U.S. Secret Service must be the world’s best protective agency. Currently, the agency is distracted by its dual mission of protection and financial investigations. The result has been a long series of high-profile embarrassments and security fail- ures, perhaps most notably its allowing of then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to be inside the Democratic National Committee office on January 6, 2021, while a pipe bomb was outside. Despite the great size and scope of the January 6 inves- tigation, this high-profile incident of danger to a protectee remains unresolved. The failures of the USSS protective mission are too numerous to list here. A December 2015 bipartisan report from the House Oversight Committee listed dozens of such incidents as well as needed recommendations for reform.14 This chapter adopts those findings and recommendations in whole, especially the finding that USSS’s dual-mission structure detracts from the agency’s protective capabilities. At the time of that report, USSS agents spent only one-third of their work hours on protection-related activities as opposed to investigative activities. USSS was established initially to investigate counterfeit currency, but its mission has evolved over the decades to prioritize electronic financial crimes. For example, as this chap- ter was being written, all 15 of the USSS’s most wanted individuals were wanted for financial crimes, many of them international in nature. Notably, the last head of the agency left not for a protection-related job, but to be the Chief Security Officer of social media company SnapChat. This is a pattern that has developed over the years, with agents seeking to burnish their online financial crimes credentials to secure corporate security jobs. Coupled with some of the lowest morale in the federal government, the agency has completely lost sight of the primacy of its protective mission. New Policies USSS should transfer to the Department of Justice and Department of the Treasury all investigations that are not related to its protective function. It should begin the logistical operation of closing all field offices throughout the country and internationally to the extent they are not taken over by Treasury or Justice. USSS agents stationed outside of Washington, D.C., should be transferred to work in Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices where they would continue to be the “boots on the ground” to follow up on threat reports throughout the country and liaise with local law enforcement for visits by protectees. — 158 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise The only investigations not related to USSS’s protective function that agents should pursue would be directed by HSI and relate to tracking the financial crimes associated with illegal immigration. This should include tracing remittances, any funds that are used to pay coyotes or the cartels, and payments by businesses to illegal aliens and all other crimes associated with illegal immigration. USSS should keep visitor logs for all facilities where the President works or resides. The Biden Administration has evaded such transparency with President Biden spending a historic amount of time for a President at his Delaware residence. This has left the American people in the dark as to who is influencing the highest levels of their own government. Budget The suggested reforms would result in a significant USSS budget reduction, primarily because the agency would relinquish dozens of physical offices through- out the U.S. and internationally. Some amount of savings should be used to fix the personnel problems and for recruitment initiatives aimed at individuals who are inclined to join a protection-focused agency. Personnel As documented extensively in the above-referenced 2015 bipartisan congressio- nal report, low morale and high turnover are key drivers of USSS problems. With their mission focused on protection, agents would no longer spend the bulk of their time developing unrelated skillsets. Instead, USSS agents could hone their protection skills and pursue a protection career path in the agency rather than quickly leaving USSS for high-paying corporate security jobs. The Uniform Division (UD) of USSS requires a significant staffing increase. As documented in the bipartisan report, understaffing results in unpredictable and long hours, which in turn result in high turnover, which only compounds the problem. Another key issue is that UD officers lack the ability to enforce criminal laws outside the immediate vicinity of the White House. As the District of Columbia is a federal jurisdiction and currently is beholden to the trend of progressive pro- crime policies, UD officers should enforce all applicable laws. The result would be to allow UD officers to gain more law enforcement experience—an attractive credential that would improve morale. TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA) The TSA model is costly and unwisely makes TSA both the regulator and the regulated organization responsible for screening operations. As part of an effort to shrink federal bureaucracies and bring private-sector know-how to govern- ment programs, TSA is ripe for reform. The U.S. should look to the Canadian and

Department of Defense

Weak
Vector: 63%
Pages: 164-167AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill directs DHS to conduct a terrorism threat assessment, reinforcing DHS's existing counterterrorism mission, whereas Project 2025 recommends dismantling or radically restructuring DHS. Both share a focus on DHS and terrorism, but their policy directions are opposed, resulting in only weak thematic alignment."

Key themes:Department of Homeland Securityterrorism threat assessmentcounterterrorisminteragency coordinationnational security

— 133 — 5 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Ken Cuccinelli PRIMARY RECOMMENDATION Our primary recommendation is that the President pursue legislation to dis- mantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). After 20 years, it has not gelled into “One DHS.” Instead, its various components’ different missions have outweighed its decades-long attempt to function as one department, rendering the whole disjointed rather than cohesive. Breaking up the department along its mission lines would facilitate mission focus and provide opportunities to reduce overhead and achieve more limited government. In lieu of a status quo DHS, we recommend that: l U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) be combined with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR); and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) into a stand- alone border and immigration agency at the Cabinet level (more than 100,000 employees, making it the third largest department measured by manpower). l The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) be moved to the Department of Transportation. — 134 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) be moved to the Department of the Interior or, if combined with CISA, to the Department of Transportation. l The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) be moved to DOJ and, in time of full-scale war (i.e., threatening the homeland), to the Department of Defense (DOD). Alternatively, USCG should be moved to DOD for all purposes. l The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) be divided in two, with the protective element moved to DOJ and the financial enforcement element moved to the Department of the Treasury. l The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) be privatized. l The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) be moved to DOD and the Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction be moved to the FBI. All of the remaining supporting components could be dismantled because their functions already exist in the moving components as well as the receiv- ing departments. Cutting these costs would save the American taxpayers significant sums. Unless and until this dismantling recommendation is pursued and achieved, however, DHS will statutorily continue to exist, and it needs many reforms. Accord- ingly, we now turn to recommended changes in DHS as it exists now. MISSION STATEMENT The Department of Homeland Security protects the American homeland from and prepares for terrorism and other hazards in both the physical and cyber realms, provides for secure and free movement of trade and travel, and enforces U.S. immi- gration laws impartially. OVERVIEW The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and subsequent mailings of anthrax spores. The Homeland Security Act of 2002,1 which created the department, states that DHS’s primary mission is to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S.; reduce the nation’s vulnerability to terrorism; minimize the damage from and assist in the recovery from any terrorist attacks; prepare and respond to natural and manmade crises and emergencies; and monitor connections between illegal drug trafficking and terrorism, coordinate efforts to sever such connections, and interdict illegal drug trafficking.

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

Full Policy Text

Related Bills