Congress mandates Muslim Brotherhood terror designation, sweeping in vaguely affiliated groups

What it does

This bill requires the President to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization within 90 days and to impose sanctions blocking its property and transactions. It also mandates the Secretary of State to submit annual reports identifying all Muslim Brotherhood branches worldwide and determining whether they meet criteria for terrorist designation, with the President required to impose sanctions on any branch meeting those criteria within 30 days of each report. The bill creates a 4-year minimum period before sanctions can be removed and establishes visa ineligibility and mandatory revocation for anyone determined to be a Muslim Brotherhood member.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a mandatory presidential designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, coupled with annual reporting requirements and sanctions authority. This is a counterterrorism measure, though its scope and definitional breadth raise governance concerns.

What the text implies

• The definition of 'Muslim Brotherhood branch' is extraordinarily broad, encompassing any entity 'directly or indirectly affiliated' with the organization, potentially capturing mainstream charities, civil society groups, and religious organizations with no operational connection to terrorism.
• The bill imposes a mandatory 4-year minimum sanctions period regardless of changed circumstances, removing presidential discretion to adjust designations based on evolving intelligence or diplomatic developments.
• Visa revocation and inadmissibility provisions apply to anyone 'determined' to be a member based on 'credible evidence,' a standard lower than the 'preponderance of evidence' or 'clear and convincing' standards typical in immigration law, with no explicit appeal or administrative review process specified.
• The annual reporting requirement creates a rolling designation mechanism: branches identified as meeting criteria in any year trigger automatic sanctions within 30 days, potentially designating organizations without formal FTO process or statutory safeguards.
• The bill's geographic scope (listing 30+ countries and 'any other country or jurisdiction') combined with the 'indirectly affiliated' language could sweep in organizations operating lawfully in their home countries that have not been designated as terrorist by those governments.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill may enhance national security by targeting organizations linked to terrorism financing and support networks, but it creates broad definitional authority that could affect lawful religious organizations, civil society groups, and individuals based on vague affiliation criteria, potentially chilling free association and religious practice without clear due process protections.

Named in the bill

Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Secretary of State, President, National Counterterrorism Center, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, House Committee on the Judiciary, Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987, Immigration and Nationality Act, Executive Order 13224, Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act

Where it stands

37 cosponsors: 33 Republicans, 4 Democrats.

• Jul 15, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 15, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and House Committee on Foreign Affairs · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period…”
• Dec 3, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Dec 3, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 35 - 14”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,703,615 in lobbying spend. A filing names 60 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Mario Diaz-Balart, the sponsor, reported $924,784 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Israel Public Affairs Committee — $973,910 on 1 filing
• Fdd Action — $530,000 on 2 filings
• Christians United for Israel Action Fund — $199,705 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.