A significant blow to American law enforcement’s fight against terrorism has just occurred. The University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is now desperately seeking private donations to survive after the Trump administration rightly cut its federal funding over blatant political bias.
START has lost virtually all of its federal grants, an action that underscores its questionable data practices. This organization, which purportedly supports law enforcement, has produced reports that link President Trump’s attempted assassination to “anti-immigration” sentiment, raising serious concerns about its reliability and integrity. The time for ambiguity is over: START’s data has been misleading and politically charged.
A senior official from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) firmly denounced START’s biased database, which not only made egregious connections between right-wing ideologies and violence but also overlooked left-wing extremism and ignored significant anti-Israel incidents. This skewed perspective undermines national security and misinforms our law enforcement agencies. START even reclassified peaceful pro-life activists as potential radicals, lumping them in with extremist groups like Al Qaeda. Such actions are unconscionable and harmful to our collective security.
START is now at a crossroads, claiming it faces the most pivotal challenges in its 20-year history. Since mid-March, nearly 40% of its annual budget—millions of dollars—has been slashed, leaving them scrambling for alternatives. Instead of addressing the integrity of their research, START has opted to transition to a subscription model, effectively asking for handouts to “stabilize” their operations.
While they claim to provide a comprehensive timeline of extremist violence, critical analysis reveals a glaring bias. Not only do they sensationalize actions like burning LGBTQ flags, but they also neglect prominent instances of anti-Israel violence on college campuses. The American public deserves better than this politicization of data in crucial national security matters.
The DHS previously allocated over $3.5 million to these questionable efforts before they were dismantled under the Trump administration, which correctly deemed such funding to be a waste. The Secretary of Homeland Security has explicitly stated that wasteful government spending, especially in counterterrorism, will not be tolerated.
START now finds itself soliciting private donations, admitting to a funding crisis without acknowledging the reasons for it. This organization’s history of bias has seriously damaged its credibility. It will be hard for them to build a sustainable model moving forward when they have shown such a disregard for accurate data representation and national security.
The time for political correctness is over. The American public deserves transparency and reliability from research institutions involved in national security. START’s history of questionable associations and tactics calls for scrutiny. The truth cannot be compromised, and those who misuse data for political ends must be held accountable. It’s time to bolster our security efforts with credible data, not promote a narrative cloaked in bias.
