A group of 15 Republican senators has introduced the “Dismantle Iran’s Proxy Act,” calling to redesignate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, requiring a strategy to degrade Houthi capabilities in the Red Sea, and requiring a report on obstacles to humanitarian aid provision in areas of Yemen under Houthi control.

In one of his earliest foreign policy actions, US President Joe Biden targeted traditional Gulf allies of the US by lifting the terror designation applied to the Houthis in the final days of the Trump administration. Last year, he ordered the redesignation of the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity but stopped short of relisting them as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The administration argued that these designations could hamper the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen, which is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

“Under this administration, the United States will return to President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran and safeguard American national security,” the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch said in a statement.

Senator Lindsey Graham cited the Houthis’ slogan of “Death to America, Death to Israel, and Curse on the Jews.” He added: “You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out they are terrorists.”

The Houthis began their maritime attacks following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered an Israeli military response that devastated much of Gaza. The Iran-backed Houthis claimed their attacks were a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis have persistently targeted Israel with long-range ballistic missiles and drones, some of which have been intercepted by US troops stationed in Israel in recent months.

As these Houthi attacks continue, they are costing the US billions of dollars, primarily for the deployment of aircraft carrier strike groups and the missiles and ammunition needed to counter these attacks. Estimates suggest that operating a carrier strike group costs under $9 million daily. The US has consistently maintained at least one carrier strike group in the region.