Published on January 20, 2024, 1:32 am

President Joe Biden is currently under scrutiny from susceptible members of his own party to intensify his efforts against the Iranian-supported Houthi extremists. This comes in the aftermath of his regime’s somewhat lukewarm terrorist labeling given to the group earlier this week, following the retraction of more severe classifications from 2021.

The administration awarded the Yemen-based extremist faction with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) status on Wednesday. However, it fell short of again dubbing the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), an identification that entails markedly stricter penalties than being classified as an SDGT.

Democrats facing re-election later this year have asked Biden to adopt a more decisive stand on this issue. This echos the sentiment of virtually all Republicans who have been advocating for stronger action for several months.

“The Houthis are essentially a terrorist adjunct of Iran’s government, and I’ve suggested their categorization as a terrorist entity,” said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV). “While I am in favor of today’s classification, it should go beyond this and officially denote the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for us to completely curb arms and funding heading their direction.”

Echoing the same sentiments was Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who insisted: “We must terminate the unlawful funding for Iranian-backed terror groups like Hamas and Houthis, who are assaulting civilians aboard merchant vessels. The act of defining Houthis as a terror group is essential, but administration should stretch further to curtail their financial backing and support by branding them a Foreign Terrorist Organization.”

Furthermore, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) voiced that additional measures need to be taken by Biden’s administration to obstruct the Houthis’ capacity to terrorize regions by labeling them officially as an FTO.

Designating an organization as FTO makes it illegal for any U.S.-based person or entities to provide any form of material support or resources to a group that may encompass finances, training, assets, even communication. Contrarily, an SDGT identification does not label the entire organization as a terroristic entity but rather targets specific individuals or groups within a larger organization.

The New York Times has highlighted that labeling the Houthis as an FTO “would have greatly facilitated criminal prosecutions against any individual who knowingly supplies the Houthis with money, materials, training or other ‘material support’.” This clearly starkens the level of constraint between an FTO and SDGT status.