Statement by Truman President and CEO Jenna Ben-Yehuda on Domestic Terrorism in the U.S.

Washington, DC — In the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Truman President and CEO Jenna Ben-Yehuda issued the following statement:

“America’s political leaders — from the White House to Congress and state houses — must do more to prevent targeted acts of violence such as this weekend’s mass shootings. That begins with calling these attacks what they are: acts of domestic terrorism. Many of these attacks are committed by white nationalists and fueled by dangerous supremacist ideologies.

America is not alone as it faces this threat, which has led to a spate of attacks in New Zealand and across Europe, but it is alone in its paltry efforts to confront it. The threat of white nationalism and the resulting acts of domestic terrorism these ideologies precipitate demand a fully coordinated, whole-of-government response. The full weight of the U.S. government will be required to eliminate the scourge of white nationalism.

Mass shootings are a form of domestic terrorism. And terrorism, whether perpetrated by foreign nationals or U.S. citizens, is a threat to U.S. national security. Such acts are an assault on American freedoms and ideals and we must meet these attacks with the highest levels of urgency.”