Designation of Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
The order sets in motion the formal legal process to designate Ansar Allah — also known as the Houthis — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. immigration law, and directs a review of USAID partnerships in Yemen to cut off any that have ties to the group.
It does not itself make the designation; that determination requires a Secretary of State report and subsequent formal action within about 45 days of signing.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs the Secretary of State to submit a report to the President, after consulting with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of the Treasury, on whether to formally designate Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. immigration law. Within 15 days of submitting that report, the Secretary of State must take all appropriate action to complete or decline the designation. The order also states U.S. policy is to cooperate with regional partners to deprive Ansar Allah of resources and end its attacks on U.S. personnel, partners, and Red Sea shipping.
Following any formal designation, the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator must jointly review UN partners, nongovernmental organizations, and contractors through which USAID works in Yemen, identifying entities that made payments to Ansar Allah or its controlled government entities, or that criticized counterterrorism efforts without documenting Ansar Allah's abuses. USAID is then directed to terminate the projects, grants, or contracts of any flagged entities.
Who it affects
Ansar Allah and its affiliated entities, U.S. Navy and military personnel in the Middle East, commercial shipping operators in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb, and USAID partners — including NGOs, UN agencies, and contractors — operating in Yemen.
Why it matters
A formal Foreign Terrorist Organization designation triggers automatic legal consequences: U.S. persons are prohibited from providing material support to the group, and the designation can restrict international financial flows to it. USAID's Yemen partners risk losing federal funding if they are found to have financially supported or insufficiently documented abuses by Ansar Allah.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The order works in three stages. First, the Secretary of State has 30 days to deliver a formal designation report, after consulting intelligence and Treasury officials. Second, within 15 days of that report, the Secretary must act on the designation under the statutory process in 8 U.S.C. 1189. Third, only after a designation is made does USAID's partner-review trigger. USAID is then authorized to terminate grants or contracts with flagged entities. No severability or sunset clauses appear; implementation is subject to available appropriations.
Actions and deadlines
- Secretary of State submits report to the President on designating Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
- Secretary of State takes all appropriate action regarding formal designation of Ansar Allah
- Secretary of State and USAID Administrator jointly review Yemen partners for ties to Ansar Allah
- USAID Administrator terminates projects, grants, or contracts of entities identified in the review