_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
A few weeks ago, Congress released a bill to label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. But the bill released by the House Foreign Affairs Committee was noticeably watered down from the original, more stringent version.
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_THE FACTS_
In late November, President Donald Trump designated “certain chapters” of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorists.
Congress initially wanted to force the Secretary of State to judge each Muslim Brotherhood branch as terroristic.
However, the GOP-led House Foreign Affairs Committee stripped out the language that would have required the president to do so.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blasted the move, saying they removed “the designation part” entirely.
The committee then buried the softened bill in a press release, instead highlighting unrelated legislation on scam centers.
The shift reportedly came after the Trump administration pressured House Republicans to water down the original, tougher version.
President Trump has made good relations with Qatar a priority, which the bill would have hindered.
Qatar is one of the major financial supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In September, Trump signed an executive order declaring that good relations with Qatar were in America’s national interests.
_INSIGHTS_
President Trump is seeking to create long-term peace in the Middle East, allowing the United States to focus elsewhere in the world. To that end, he has strongly supported Israel and weakened Iran’s influence — but he has also sought to strengthen and support the Gulf States, including Qatar.
The administration likely hopes that, in return for support, Qatar — which partially funds the Muslim Brotherhood — will choose to limit its funding of extremism without being forced to do so.
