U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday introduced the Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act, a bill aimed at expanding federal prosecutorial tools to combat violent, organized rioting.
The measure would add rioting, under the definition of the federal anti-riot statute, to the list of predicate offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
“Every American has the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest, but not to commit violence,” Cruz said in a statement. “Domestic NGOs and foreign adversaries fund and use riots in the United States to undermine the security and prosperity of Americans. My legislation will give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to hold them accountable.”
The bill is cosponsored by Republican Senators John Cornyn, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, Thom Tillis, Mike Lee, and Josh Hawley.
Cornyn framed the bill as a response to escalating violence and coordination behind destructive protests.
“Radical, left-wing groups who fund acts of violence, coordinate attacks against law enforcement, and spearhead the destruction of property must be stopped,” he said. “This legislation would add rioting to the list of racketeering offenses to crack down on this lawless behavior while ensuring the First Amendment rights of free speech and peaceful protest are protected.”
Tuberville, more direct in tone, criticized left-wing demonstrators and suggested political motivation behind certain protests.
“Democrats don’t like that [Americans supported Trump’s policies] – so they are rioting in the streets and violently attacking law enforcement officers,” he said. “We have to cut these violent riots off at the source. The adults are back in charge, and law and order will prevail.”
Other cosponsors emphasized the bill’s focus on holding riot funders accountable. Sen. Hagerty cited recent anti-ICE demonstrations and anti-Semitic riots, while Sen. Tillis referenced organized violence in cities like Los Angeles.
A companion bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R).
“It is time we empower our law enforcement with a commonsense tool to treat these violent mobs, their funding sources, and their organizers as the criminal enterprises they are,” she said. “This is organized crime, and we need to attack it as such.”
