ABSTRACT
US Federal funding across the sciences has been reduced and new research funding priorities have emerged. Amongst those changes, research on violent extremism has been essentially eliminated. Here, it is argued that research on violent extremism is critical given the dangerous times we live in. One can identify extremist attitudes amongst almost any group, be it right-wing Christian nationalists, left-wing eco-terrorists, or foreign terrorist groups. While each target group might present unique characteristics and distinct goals, they share many of the same psychological underpinnings. In fact, since at least 2010, the FBI has recognized that most domestic threats are from individual actors and homegrown terror cells. Research on radicalism in the US can shed light on these related processes throughout the world, and vice versa. Beyond group-level effects, research on anger, rumination, and their association with interpersonal violence, including intimate partner violence, is synergistic with research on intergroup violence. Here, we outline recent changes in funding priorities, similarities across the threat types, advances in our knowledge, and how research efforts of the associated processes will enable better detection and intervention for all the associated groups and individuals. The fact that Americans are often victims of violent extremist ideologies and mass shootings suggests that it is our responsibility to be world leaders in addressing these issues. Funding will help address one goal most Americans adhere to—it is the government’s job to keep people safe.