Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican representing Texas, announced new legislative efforts on July 23, 2025, aimed at targeting individuals and organizations accused of funding riots. In a series of posts on his official X account, Cruz described the motivations behind his proposed bill and outlined its key provisions.
In his first post, Cruz stated: “The riots we’ve in the last several years weren’t organic—there are people paying for them. The funders should be prosecuted, and my Stop FUNDERS legislation does that.” (July 23, 2025).
Cruz followed up by sharing coverage from The Daily Signal about his legislative initiative: “.@DailySignal: “Sen. Ted Cruz introduced legislation Wednesday to take on organizations that finance riots, using the same tools that brought down the American Mafia.”” (July 23, 2025).
In a subsequent post referencing Townhall.com, Cruz provided further details about the legal approach: ‘”[Cruz] elaborated, noting that the proposed legislation “adds rioting to the list of predicate crimes under RICO” and that “It means federal prosecutors can go after the people writing the checks.” | @townhallcom’ (July 23, 2025).
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a federal law enacted in 1970 to combat organized crime by allowing prosecution for ongoing criminal enterprises. By proposing to add rioting as a predicate offense under RICO statutes, Cruz’s bill would enable authorities to pursue those financially supporting such activities with similar prosecutorial tools used against organized crime groups.
The announcement comes amid ongoing debates in Congress regarding public safety and accountability for civil unrest in recent years. Cruz’s legislative proposal reflects broader concerns among some lawmakers about outside influence and funding behind protest movements.
