Victims of 1998 Embassy Bombings Maintain Lobbying Push in First Quarter 2026

The group representing survivors and families of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa filed a lobbying disclosure for the First Quarter of 2026, continuing a multi-firm lobbying campaign that has stretched across multiple years and congressional sessions.

Victims of Terrorism – East Africa reported $230,000 in lobbying activity through Morris J. Amitay PC for the First Quarter of 2026. The filing lists no specific issues or legislation. The group's broader lobbying operation, however, spans five firms working simultaneously on compensation and legal standing for those affected by the August 7, 1998 bombings in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Why It Matters

The 1998 bombings killed 224 people, including 12 Americans, and injured thousands more. Courts have found Iran and Sudan provided material support to Al-Qaeda for the attacks. Sudan reached a settlement with victims in 2020. Iran's outstanding court-ordered liability remains largely uncollected. A federal appeals court ruled in August 2025 that victims cannot seize $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank assets to satisfy related judgments, according to Reuters. That ruling closed off one avenue for recovery, keeping legislative remedies at the center of the group's strategy.

By the Numbers: Lobbying Disclosure Spending and Team

The $230,000 filing from Morris J. Amitay PC is the firm's only revenue-generating disclosure for this client in the lookback period. The firm also filed three reports showing $0 in activity, covering the First, Second, and Third Quarters of 2025.

The broader lobbying disclosure picture for this client is more substantial. Across all five firms active in the First Quarter of 2026, the group filed at least five separate lobbying activity reports:

  • Morris J. Amitay PC — $230,000, no specific issues listed
  • FJD Strategies LLC — general advice on compensation for U.S. victims of terrorism abroad
  • Kamins Consulting LLC — compensation for victims of the East Africa Embassy bombings
  • McGuireWoods Consulting LLC — legal standing and compensation for victims of terror, referencing H.R. 1530
  • Monument Advocacy — compensation for U.S. government employees and families killed or injured in the 1998 bombings through the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund

This five-firm configuration has been consistent across recent quarters. The same firms filed reports in the Second, Third, and Fourth Quarters of 2025, with largely the same issue descriptions. The lobbying records show no significant change in firm composition or strategy from the prior quarter to the First Quarter of 2026.

The Agenda: What the Lobbying Activity Report Shows

The Morris J. Amitay PC filing lists no specific issues lobbied and cites no legislation. Other firms in the coalition are more explicit. McGuireWoods has consistently referenced H.R. 1530, the American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act, across multiple quarterly filings. In earlier quarters, the firm also cited S. 706, the Senate companion bill. Both measures seek to amend the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act, clarifying and expanding funding sources for the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

Monument Advocacy has focused specifically on securing compensation for U.S. government employees and their families through that same fund. FJD Strategies and Kamins Consulting have described their work in broader terms, referencing general advice on compensation for U.S. victims of terrorism abroad and compensation for victims of the East Africa Embassy bombings specifically.

Broader Context: Congressional Activity and Legislative Environment

Congressional engagement with terrorism victim compensation has been active in the period surrounding this disclosure filing. On the 26th anniversary of the bombings, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen issued a joint statement calling attention to the victims and criticizing the closure of the State Department's Office of Casualty Assistance. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson also issued a statement marking the anniversary.

On September 11, 2025, Sen. John Cornyn urged the Senate to pass the American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act, citing the need to ensure families affected by terrorism receive compensation.

In March 2026, Rep. Josh Gottheimer raised concerns that the Trump administration's decision to drop criminal charges against a Turkish bank accused of helping Iran evade sanctions could deny victims of terrorism access to billions in the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. That fund is a direct focus of Monument Advocacy's lobbying work on behalf of this client.

A counterterrorism hearing in the House Foreign Affairs Committee in early 2026 addressed the State Department's counterterrorism budget and U.S. cooperation with partners in Africa, providing additional legislative backdrop for the group's ongoing congressional lobbying.

The Bottom Line

The lobbying activity report from Morris J. Amitay PC represents one piece of a coordinated, multi-firm effort that has remained consistent in structure and focus across at least the past year. The group is pursuing compensation through both the legislative process and the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. With a major court ruling in 2025 blocking one avenue for recovery and active legislation in both chambers, the congressional lobbying campaign shows no signs of winding down.

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