I. Legislative Branch
1) Legislation
House Bill Would Expand Denaturalization for Alleged Ties to Terrorism. On January 20, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) introduced H.R.7156, which would expand the grounds for denaturalization to include “anyone who, within 10 years of their naturalization, is convicted of fraud against the government, found to have joined or affiliated with a foreign terrorist organization, or is convicted of an aggravated felony or espionage.”
House Bill Expands US-Israel Cooperation to Counter Unmanned Threats. On January 21, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) reintroduced H.R.7178, which would expand joint US-Israel cooperation to counter unmanned threats across air, sea, and land domains. The legislation would also increase authorized funding to $100 million to support the development and deployment of counter-unmanned systems technologies.
House Bill Targets Drug Trafficking in the Middle East. On January 21, Rep. French Hill (R-AR) introduced H.R.7180 to update the CAPTAGON Act in order to disrupt Captagon and other narcotics trafficking networks across the Middle East following the fall of the Assad regime.
House Passes FY26 Consolidated Appropriations Act. On January 22, the House passed H.R.7148, the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The legislation includes the FY26 defense appropriations bill, which provides significant funding for Israel, including $500 million for Israeli Cooperative Programs.
2) Personnel and Correspondence
Senate Democrats Press Administration on Visit by Sanctioned RSF Commander. On January 20, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent seeking information on how a sanctioned senior commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, was allowed to be present in Washington, DC, in October 2025.
Bicameral Democrats Raise Concerns Over West Bank Annexation. On January 20, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) released a statement saying that they led 74 other bicameral Democrats in a letter to Secretary Rubio, urging the administration to push back against the Israeli government’s efforts to annex the West Bank. The lawmakers raised concerns that Israel’s actions undermine stated US policy and violate international law through settlement expansion and the forced displacement of Palestinians.
3) Hearings and Briefings
HFAC Holds Markup on Key Legislation. On January 21, the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a markup session on key legislation, including H.R.3307, which would boost US defense cooperation with countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Trump Says Hamas Must Give Up Weapons or Be “Blown Away.” On January 21, President Donald Trump said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, that negotiators would know in the coming weeks whether Hamas would follow through on its agreement to give up its weapons. Trump threatened action if the group does not do so, stating, “If they don’t do it, they’ll be blown away very quickly.”
Trump Says US “Armada” Heading to Middle East. On January 21, President Trump said in a CNBC interview that he hoped there would be no new US military action against Iran, but warned that the United States would act if Tehran does not “stop with the nuclear.”
The following day, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that a US naval “armada” was heading toward the Gulf region, with Iran as the focus, adding, “I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.” He reiterated his claim that earlier US threats of force had prevented Iranian authorities from executing more than 800 protesters and said that he remained open to talks with Iran’s leadership.
Trump Meets with el-Sisi. On January 21, President Trump met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. During the meeting, Trump said that he would like to bring together Egyptian and Ethiopian leaders to resolve the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Trump Launches Board of Peace at Ceremony in Davos. On January 22, President Trump inaugurated the Board of Peace. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said of the board, “This isn’t the United States, this is for the world,” adding, “I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza.”
Trump also said that “once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do… We’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” even as he criticized the UN for what he described as insufficient efforts to resolve conflicts worldwide.
Rubio said at the ceremony that the board’s focus was “first and foremost on making sure that this peace deal in Gaza becomes enduring.” He described the Board of Peace as a “board of action,” adding that the new body will “serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world without losing focus on what’s before us now.”
President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner outlined development plans for Gaza without referencing a path toward a Palestinian state. He presented a map dividing Gaza into “residential” areas and “coastal tourism mixed” zones and described plans to build 100,000 housing units in Rafah, as well as a new development referred to as “New Gaza.” Kushner said that the White House wants to use “free market principles” to shift Gaza away from dependence on foreign aid.
On demilitarization, Kushner said that Hamas’s “heavy weapons” would be decommissioned immediately, while small arms would be decommissioned by a new Palestinian police force, with reconstruction beginning only in fully disarmed sectors. Under the plan, Hamas members would be “rewarded with amnesty and reintegration, or safe passage.” He added that once demilitarization is completed, the Israel Defense Forces would withdraw to a security perimeter around Gaza, with the following 100 days focused on aid delivery and reconstruction.
The event also included Ali Shaath, head of the newly appointed technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza, who announced that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza would open in both directions the week of January 26.
Witkoff and Kushner Meet Netanyahu. On January 24, Special Envoy Witkoff and Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to discuss the next phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan. The envoys reportedly were working with Netanyahu on recovering the remains of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza and on next steps toward Hamas’s demilitarization.
2) Department of State
Rubio Speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister. On January 20, Secretary Rubio spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan about peace and stability in Syria.
Barrack Says SDF’s Anti-IS Role Has “Expired.” On January 20, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack said that the role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as the “primary anti-ISIS force on the ground” has “largely expired,” stating that the Syrian government is prepared to take over security duties.
On January 22, Barrack said that he met with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian Kurdish politician Ilham Ahmed and reaffirmed US support for the integration process outlined in a January 18 agreement with the Syrian central government.
Under Secretary to Travel to Bahrain and Oman. From January 21 to 29, Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker is traveling to Bahrain and Oman, among other places. In both Gulf countries, she will lead separate strategic dialogues and seek to advance cooperation across a range of security, economic, and cultural interests.
Deputy Secretary Landau Travels to Egypt. On January 24, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau traveled to Cairo to meet with US companies operating in Egypt and with Egyptian officials to discuss regional challenges and to strengthen the US-Egypt economic relationship.
3) Department of War
AFRICOM Conducts More Strikes in Somalia. On January 21, US forces conducted an airstrike against the so-called Islamic State in Somalia.
CENTCOM Transfers 150 IS Detainees from Syria to Iraq. On January 21, Adm. Brad Cooper spoke with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa about adherence to the ceasefire between the Syrian government and the SDF, and the coordinated transfer of so-called Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq. Cooper outlined CENTCOM’s plan to transfer up to 7,000 detainees. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to defeating the so-called Islamic State in Syria.
The same day, CENTCOM announced that it had launched a transfer mission and had already moved 150 so-called Islamic State detainees from a detention facility in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure location in Iraq. On January 22, Secretary Rubio said that the United States welcomed Iraq’s initiative to detain so-called Islamic State members in secure facilities, while urging countries to repatriate their citizens held there “to face justice.”
4) Department of the Treasury
Treasury Sanctions Gaza-Based Organizations Over Alleged Hamas Support. On January 21, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned six Gaza-based organizations for the alleged support of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. OFAC also designated the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, saying that it is “clandestinely controlled by Hamas” and had backed several activist flotillas seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Treasury Targets Iran’s Shadow Fleet over Protest Crackdown. On January 23, OFAC sanctioned nine shadow fleet vessels and their owners or management firms, including entities based in India, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, that it said collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products to foreign markets.
5) Department of Homeland Security
DHS Announces Plans to Deport Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria. On January 22, the Department of Homeland Security announced that former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil will be rearrested and deported to Algeria. The announcement followed a January 15 decision by a federal appeals court, which, in a 2–1 ruling, reversed a district court decision that had led to Khalil’s release from detention.
The same day, US District Court Judge William Young unsealed internal government documents detailing how the Department of State justified the detention and attempted deportation of several pro-Palestine college students. According to the New York Times, the documents show that, in nearly all cases, the recommendations for arrest and deportation were based primarily on the students’ involvement in campus protests and public writings. The documents also indicate that officials privately anticipated that the deportations might not withstand judicial scrutiny because much of the cited conduct could be considered protected speech.
