Top law enforcement officials to testify on domestic violent extremism

Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are set to testify in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are set to testify in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday at a hearing centered around the domestic violent extremist threat facing the country. Both are expected to highlight new initiatives put forward by their respective departments as they push lawmakers to approve $100 million of additional funds in President Joe Biden's budget request dedicated to addressing rising domestic terrorism threats. On Tuesday, Mayorkas established a domestic terrorism branch in the DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis and established the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, which is an effort to combat terrorism and targeted violence. DHS previously used Federal Emergency Management Agency grants to combat domestic terrorism by having each recipient allocate at least 7% toward combatting domestic terrorism. "Domestic violent extremism poses the most lethal and persistent terrorism-related threat to our country today," Mayorkas said in an April statement.