Tim Kennedy Confronts Kristi Noem on Domestic Terrorism Failures After Buffalo Shooting

Domestic Terrorism Threat Ignored

• 🎯 Tim Kennedy called out Secretary Kristi Noem for the absence of domestic terrorism in her Homeland Security Committee testimony, particularly on the anniversary of the Buffalo shooting.
• 💡 The Buffalo shooting, a racist act of domestic terrorism that killed 10 people, was carried out by a lone wolf radicalized online.
• ⚠️ Kennedy highlighted that Noem's testimony focused on foreign threats and gang members, failing to mention domestic terrorism or homegrown radicalized individuals.

Budget Cuts and Negligence

• 💰 Kennedy criticized the administration's alleged systematic effort to ignore domestic terrorism threats, citing budget proposals that eliminate critical programs.
• 🚫 The Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program, crucial for local communities to counter domestic terrorism, was completely eliminated in the budget proposal.
• 🗣️ This program had previously awarded nearly $1 million to study radicalization and improve violence prevention efforts following the Buffalo shooting.

Free Speech vs. Victim Families

• ⚖️ The budget justification for eliminating the grant program claimed it was "weaponized to target Americans exercising their first amendment rights."
• ❓ Kennedy challenged this by asking Noem to explain this justification to the families of the Buffalo victims.
• 💔 He stated that the Department of Homeland Security seemed to be making excuses for domestic terrorists under the guise of free speech, particularly on the anniversary of the attack.
• ✅ Kennedy concluded that the department can and must do better to protect the homeland from domestic threats.