President Donald Trump’s administration wants to change a counter-extremism program so that it focuses solely on “radical Islamic extremism,” Reuters reported on Friday, citing five unnamed sources briefed on the matter.
The “Countering Violent Extremism” program, which currently aims to lone attackers or groups through community partnerships, would no longer focus on groups like white supremacist organizations which have carried out attacks in the United States, according to the report.
Per Reuters, the program would be renamed “Countering Islamic Extremism” or “Countering Radical Islamic Extremism.”
Members of Trump’s transition first met with a taskforce from the program to discuss changing its name and focus in December, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed source who has worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security on the program.
The White House did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, and the Department of Homeland Security declined comment.
Multiple outlets reported in December that Trump’s transition team asked for the names of staffers at the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security who work on programs to counter violent extremism.
