Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reintroduced legislation Wednesday to officially designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, marking the latest push in his decade-long crusade to impose sanctions on the worldwide Islamist network that spawned Hamas and other terror groups threatening American interests.
The Texas Republican’s Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025 employs a new “bottom up” strategy designed to overcome previous Democratic opposition by first identifying Brotherhood branches that explicitly engage in terrorism before designating the entire organization for supporting those terror affiliates.
“The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization, and it provides support to Muslim Brotherhood branches that are terrorist organizations,” Cruz declared in a statement. “One of those branches is Hamas, which on October 7 committed the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, which included the murder and kidnapping of at least 53 Americans.”
Cruz emphasized the urgency of the designation, noting that the Brotherhood remains “committed to the overthrow and destruction of America and other non-Islamist governments across the world, and pose an acute threat to American national security interests.”
The legislation formally codifies the connection between Hamas and its parent organization, stating in the bill text that “Hamas is a Muslim Brotherhood branch, according to its charter; which describes Hamas as ‘one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.’” The bill further notes that “on October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists committed the worst 1-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, which included the murder, kidnapping, or disappearance of at least 53 United States citizens.”
The legislation takes a fundamentally different approach from Cruz’s previous attempts in 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2021, which faced criticism for potentially sweeping up Brotherhood affiliates that weren’t directly involved in violence. Speaking on his podcast Tuesday, Cruz outlined the strategic shift designed to overcome past objections.
Cruz acknowledged that previous efforts stumbled because critics argued that not all Brotherhood branches were actively engaged in violence, making a blanket designation difficult to justify. The new approach flips the methodology, beginning with clear identification of Brotherhood-supported groups that indisputably engage in terrorism before building the case for designating the parent organization.
The refined strategy addresses past criticism by establishing an evidentiary foundation of Brotherhood support for known terrorist entities, then using that documented relationship to justify sanctioning the entire network for providing material support to terror groups.
The bill establishes that “the Muslim Brotherhood functions as a global organization and provides material support to Muslim Brotherhood branches in countries and territories by providing political support, financial resources, training, services, expert advice, and communications assistance.” It further declares that “Muslim Brotherhood branches have sought to destabilize and undermine United States allies and partners throughout the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.”
Joining Cruz in sponsoring the Senate legislation are Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Boozman (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ashley Moody (R-FL), and Dave McCormick (R-PA). Cotton reinforced the bill’s central argument, stating: “The Muslim Brotherhood preaches death to Israel, the United States, and other western governments. These are the statements of a terrorist group, and they should be labeled as such.”
Meanwhile, Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) introduced companion legislation in the House on Wednesday, providing bipartisan momentum for the designation effort.
Hassan al-Banna established the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in 1928 with the radical goal of imposing an Islamic state under Sharia law. The extremist organization rapidly grew into one of Egypt’s most powerful political forces while metastasizing across the Middle East through violent offshoots. The Brotherhood’s most notorious spawn is Hamas, the terror group that seized control of Gaza and orchestrated the barbaric October 7 massacre that butchered over 1,200 innocent people.
Multiple U.S. allies have already taken decisive action against the Brotherhood’s terrorist threat. Austria, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have all officially branded the organization as a terrorist group and banned its operations. Jordan joined this growing coalition this year, legally outlawing the Brotherhood and criminalizing the promotion of its radical ideology.
Previous designation efforts have faced obstacles from critics who pointed to Brotherhood affiliates holding legislative seats in countries friendly to the United States, including Kuwait, potentially complicating diplomatic relationships. However, Cruz’s refined approach aims to address these concerns by focusing on the organization’s material support for unambiguous terror groups.
The biggest hurdle remains Senate Democrats, according to Cruz, who acknowledged the political reality facing the legislation. Cruz revealed he has been actively lobbying Democratic colleagues to support the measure, though he expressed skepticism about their willingness to take a firm stance against the Brotherhood.
The Texas senator suggested that forcing a floor vote would serve a valuable purpose regardless of the outcome, putting lawmakers on record regarding their position on designating an organization that has spawned numerous terrorist offshoots. Cruz indicated that Senate Majority Leader John Thune should bring the bill to the floor to compel senators to take a public stance.
While expecting most Democrats to oppose the measure, Cruz argued that the vote itself would have strategic value in highlighting which lawmakers are willing to confront organizations tied to international terrorism.
The proposed legislation would trigger immediate penalties for individuals identified as members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Foreign nationals found to be affiliated with the group would face sanctions that include visa revocations and be deemed inadmissible to the United States under existing hostage recovery and accountability provisions.
The bill requires the Secretary of State to submit annual reports identifying all Muslim Brotherhood branches worldwide and determining whether their activities meet the criteria for terrorist designation. Once designated, the President would be prohibited from removing sanctions for a minimum four-year period.
Given the legislative challenges, Cruz suggested that an executive order from President Trump might provide a more viable path forward for the designation.
As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, Cruz is uniquely positioned to advance counterterrorism efforts targeting organizations that threaten American interests across the volatile region where the Brotherhood maintains its strongest presence.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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