Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) is leading a renewed charge against the Muslim Brotherhood, introducing a bold new bill to officially designate the Islamist network as a terrorist organization. The legislation, titled the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, aims to financially cripple the global operation by targeting its violent affiliates and banning financial transactions with its members.
The bill embraces a strategic, bottom-up method that mirrors President Trump’s 2017 effort against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Rather than focusing only on the Brotherhood’s broader ideology, Cruz’s proposal directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “catalog Muslim Brotherhood branches that are designated as terrorist groups and designate additional ones that meet relevant criteria.” Rubio would have 90 days to report and take action once the bill becomes law.
The move has already gained traction among conservatives. Senators Tom Cotton, Rick Scott, and Dave McCormick are among early backers, along with pro-Israel organizations such as AIPAC and Christians United for Israel. AIPAC stated the Brotherhood “has backed Hamas and other groups that use terrorism to attack U.S. allies and interests across the Middle East.”
Sandra Hagee Parker of CUFI praised the legislation’s updated approach, saying, “The Muslim Brotherhood’s unique network requires a modern approach to law enforcement and this bill enables exactly that.”
One source familiar with Cruz’s efforts emphasized the bipartisan viability and strategic coordination of the bill: “Cruz got it to a place where it was both in line with President Trump’s priorities while still being bipartisan.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is already designated a terror organization by the European Parliament, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and others.
