Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says he will bring the House-passed bill to the floor this week.
The controversial bill would create special offices within the government to investigate and monitor so-called domestic terrorism, according to The Hill.
Many in the GOP compared it to the recently suspended disinformation board set up by the Biden administration.
“It’s like the disinformation board on steroids. Another way to look at is the Patriot Act for American citizens,” Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said.
Other Senate conservatives are concerned the offices would quickly shift to federal policing of political speech that would disproportionately target anti-government and anti-immigration activists than extremist left-wing groups.
Hawley noted the Department of Homeland Security has taken a “very different tone” against leftist groups that threatened violence against the Supreme Court.
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) said he’s “wary of the political motivation” behind such legislation.
“I get a little concerned when people want to pass new laws to supplement laws that are already in place that would be used to charge people with crimes. I don’t necessarily believe we need a new law to convict people who have committed other crimes,” he said of the bill.
.jpg){kind=link}