[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 168 (Monday, November 16, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H8232-H8235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FIGHTING TERRORISM AROUND THE WORLD
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rouzer). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Costello) is recognized until 10 p.m. as the designee of the majority
leader.
General Leave
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special
Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the
opportunity to host this Special Order tonight.
Less than 100 hours ago, we were provided another tragic reminder of
the world that we live in, a world where radical terrorists are engaged
in a violent war against the U.S. and our allies. Our thoughts,
prayers, and condolences go to our ally, France, here this evening.
{time} 2130
Prior to Friday night's events in Paris, tonight's Special Order was
going to focus on recent incidents of terrorist-led violence across
Israel. Yet Friday night's events are not dissimilar from the
escalation of violence we have seen across Israel in recent months and
in other places of the world.
The attacks have been indiscriminate in their targets. The attacks
have been intended to instill fear. And the attacks are a direct
affront to the daily lives and the way of life of innocent, peaceful
civilians.
I want to share with you the words of Prime Minister Netanyahu this
weekend:
``In Israel, as in France, terrorism is terrorism, and standing
behind it is radical Islam and its desire to destroy its victims. The
time has come for the world to wake up and unite in order to defeat
terrorism. The time has come for countries to condemn terrorism against
us to the same degree that they condemn terrorism everywhere else in
the world.
``We should remember--we are not to blame for the terrorism directed
against us, just as the French are not to blame for the terrorism
directed against them. The terrorists who attack us have the same
murderous intent as those in Paris.''
Mr. Speaker, we know that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the
Paris attacks, but while we can condemn those attacks here this
evening, it seems very evident to me, and I think Americans all across
this country, as we ask, I think, the same question: Are we safe, and
are the policies of this administration and its foreign policy and the
refugee admissions policy making us safer, or are they cause for
concern and require more discernment and a more scrutinizing eye by
this Congress and the American people?
This year alone, there have been at least 49 alleged supporters of
ISIS in America charged with related crimes, and it is reported that
there is an estimated 20,000 foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria likely
holding Western passports.
In May, FBI Director James Comey said:
Thousands in the U.S. may be consuming ISIS propaganda on
the Internet.
Tonight, in light of the horrific terrorist attack in Paris and the
escalating violence in Israel, as we stand to express our solidarity
with our friends and allies affected by violent and extreme acts of
terror, we must also be thinking about what we as Americans can do to
defeat--not contain--but eliminate radical jihadists and terrorists who
are hell-bent on undermining the U.S., our allies, and our way of life.
A little bit later I will speak more on my views on our present
foreign policy and the refugee admissions policy, but we have over the
course of the next hour many Members from across the United States of
America condemning indiscriminate terrorist attacks, radical Islamic
jihad, and violence across the world.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to our first speaker this evening, the
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers).
Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I want to thank the gentleman from
Pennsylvania for his leadership on this issue and for holding this very
important leadership hour talking about the issues that obviously
affect our allies in the world but also the safety of the American
people.
[[Page H8233]]
As we are discussing these issues and the views that are taking place
and the discussion and the debate that is going to be had on this
issue, I think it is important, again, that we remember this is an
American national security issue, and we in the House have to be as
vigilant and as strong as we can be on the issue.
The attacks carried out on Friday by radical Islamic extremists can
only be described as barbaric, and we are responding with force. Yet,
this morning, the President announced at a G-20 summit in Turkey that
there ``wouldn't be any major changes to the approach taken against
ISIS.''
The President's passive approach has proven to be no deterrent to
these Islamic extremists, and it is time that he implement a clear and
comprehensive strategy to completely destroy ISIS abroad, on their
soil, so that we are not fighting them on ours.
This is an issue of American national security. Additionally, this is
why again and again I have repeatedly called on the need to secure our
border and repair our broken immigration system to keep these threats
out.
It has never been a matter of if, but a matter of when, we might face
this type of attack here at home. Time has shown that it is up to us in
the House to be the voice of strength for the American people.
As we work together to determine a stronger path forward, we will
proudly stand with our allies--as they did with us--against these
extreme forces of evil.
We will continue to hold the people of France in our prayers.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. I would like to thank the gentlewoman
from North Carolina for her participation.
I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly.)
Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Costello) for leading this important Special Order today.
We stand with our allies across the world who have repeatedly and
recently experienced violent acts of terrorism, specifically in Israel
and France. We pray for the victims and their families, and we stand
united in our efforts to bring these attackers, these terrorists, to
justice.
It is clear that we are at war with radical Islam. How do you expect
to destroy your enemy if you can't even identify them or call them by
name? They know who we are. They call us the infidels. And they will
quit at no cost to destroy us all. We must identify and attack our
enemy.
The world is safer when America chooses to lead. We must put forward
a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to eliminate ISIS, not a
policy of containment. We can no longer underestimate the desire and
ability for them to attack us in our homes. Our men and women in
uniform will destroy the enemy, wherever they are, if we give them
clear guidance and a strategy which they can enforce.
These acts of terrorism seek to make us less free. They are carried
out on the mission of instilling fear, uncertainty, and hate. But the
terrorists do not get to win. Americans and those other countries that
promote freedom and democracy will continue to live our lives, go to
work, provide for our families, and advocate for those same freedoms
around the world.
Now is the time to have faith in God, hug your loved ones a little
tighter, and continue our commitment to eliminate the threat of ISIS,
radical Islam, and other terrorist organizations around the world.
God bless our servicemembers, and God bless America.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. I want to thank the gentleman from
Mississippi for his participation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Hardy).
Mr. HARDY. I would like to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for
his efforts to host us here this evening and for the opportunity to
speak.
As the events of Paris unfolded over the weekend, I watched in horror
with the rest of the world as violent terror once again touched the
soil of America's oldest allies. I echo the cares and concerns of the
world that terror is growing. And we must stand united against it.
Terror does not respect borders or nationalities. Its effects are felt
in the smallest village and in the world's most recognizable cities.
Nearly 500 innocent people were killed or injured in Paris this
weekend, only 10 months after the extremists attacked the Charlie Hebdo
offices, murdering 17. Last week, 43 people were killed and 239 were
injured by a suicide bomber in Beirut. Mounting evidence shows that
terrorists were likely involved in the deaths of 224 people aboard a
Russian jet that went down in Egypt last month. In Israel, our friends
have been battling this increased violence for weeks, with no
predictable end in sight.
Each of these events happened in the last 2 months, and there are
countless other victims of hate around the world whose loss too often
goes unnoticed. Those losses have continuously happened over the past 6
to 7 years, and some of them seem to fall on deaf ears and unseeing
eyes.
No matter the location, the fact is that too many parents in these
nations worry if their children will come home safe at night. It is
times like these that defenders of freedom need to remember the common
threads that bind us together against the power of evil. France was not
the beginning, nor will it be the end.
On the heels of this tragedy, ISIS has taken credit and released a
video promising that something ``worse is coming.'' Something worse is
coming. We should not neglect that threat.
Our own CIA Director said earlier today that he ``anticipates this is
not the only operation that ISIL has in the pipeline. The Paris attack
is not something that was planned in a matter of days.''
The President has stated a shared goal that we want to ``degrade and
destroy'' ISIS. While that is the goal of all, in the meantime, we are
obligated to the American people to contain and control these crazed
attackers.
ISIS has expanded to Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan, and to Pakistan.
Teenagers from England and Europe have attempted to, or successfully
supported, ISIS on the ground. As sickening as these actions are, it is
more terrifying to think that those recruits might bring their new
training back home. How long until we see terrorism touching our U.S.
soil again?
This is not just a threat to the eastern hemisphere. This is a global
threat that requires a global response. The U.S. cannot be the only one
involved, but we also cannot fail to act. When America fails to lead,
there is too often a vacuum that we have seen filled with the
nightmares of hateful leaders who disregard innocent lives in their
quest for power and control.
We must be vigilant for the sake of life in America and across the
world. We must continue to fight these extremists and stand as a united
front against the rising tide of evil.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman from Nevada for
participating in tonight's Special Order.
I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Young).
Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. I want to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania
for his hard work and leadership on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, tonight, this Hoosier rises in solidarity with our
French brethren.
Fourteen years ago, on September 11, when radical terrorists struck
at the heart of the United States, France stood by us. In one of
America's darkest hours, when no words seemed to adequately express the
shock and sadness we felt, it was our French allies who famously evoked
the phrase: ``We are all Americans.''
Sadly, last Friday evening, on November 13, 2015, France was
similarly subjected to multiple acts of terror in Paris. Now, it is our
turn to offer our support to the fallen, to their families, and to all
of France. Today, Mr. Speaker, we Americans stand with the people of
France.
Our ties with France date back hundreds of years, to the days of the
American Revolutionary War. Our shared values, our respect for liberty,
equality, and democracy, have bound our two great nations through
centuries of conflict and peace.
So, tonight, on behalf of the citizens of Indiana, I send my sincere
thoughts and prayers to the Parisians so devastated by this atrocity.
Together, we will restore France. Together, we will defend civilization
against barbarianism, and together we can endeavor to eliminate ISIS.
[[Page H8234]]
In the wake of this sorrow, we must reflect on what led to this
attack on innocent civilians. And then we must, as we say in the
Marines, ``adapt, improvise, and overcome.''
We must find ways to prevent future attacks from occurring on our
soil and the soil of our allies across the Atlantic. This won't be
without risk. Leadership never is. At this critical juncture, I hope
Congress stands ready to support the administration, to encourage its
development of a winning strategy that doesn't purport to merely
contain ISIS but instead turns the tide of radicalism in the region and
eradicates this radical brand of terror.
{time} 2130
This is no time for half measures, Mr. Speaker. It will be imperative
for the United States to coordinate with France and our other NATO
allies on a joint strategy to defeat ISIS, to eliminate this evil.
This is, of course, no time for political posturing, empty rhetoric
or gamesmanship. It is a time for unity. I look forward to working with
my colleagues and working with our Commander in Chief on a war strategy
that will annihilate the radical Islamic state, keep the American
people safe, and return Syria to its people.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman from Indiana.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, tonight we stand with our brothers and
sisters in Israel and France to express our support and our commitment
to these, our allies overseas.
We have witnessed the violence in Israel in recent weeks whipped up
by the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, knowing now that
radical Islamic militants are determined to continue their assault on
the democracies of the world and western civilization.
On Friday, the 13th, the world witnessed an unspeakable tragedy
brought about by ISIS. This is a terrorist organization that has
repeatedly plagued the Middle East with gruesome beheadings, violent
killings, the rape of women, and the enslavement of children.
Now they have unleashed a terror rampage on our ally, France, and
they promise to bring it to America as well.
Our President has called this slaughter ``a setback.'' So now
Congress must recognize both the gravity and the tragedy of what has
recently occurred and respond accordingly.
What will it take, I ask, for this administration to admit that we
are in a life-and-death struggle with radical Islam?
Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu once gave this admonition: Know thy
enemy. The enemy must be identified in order to defeat him.
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the recent terrorist
attacks, and I hope that the United States will stand by them and the
people of Israel as well as France during these times.
To the people of France: I am very sorry--Je suis vraiment desole.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from New York (Mr. Zeldin).
Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise in solidarity with the people
of France in the aftermath of last Friday's horrific terror attacks in
Paris.
I also commend the French for their swift leadership in decisively
and powerfully taking immediate action. They are delivering justice to
those responsible for the cowardly attack on their innocent people.
This latest attack wasn't just on France. No. This was an attack on
all free nations targeted and threatened by the brutal and savage
tactics of Islamic terrorists who oppose the basic freedoms and
liberties of the free world.
This is not an isolated incident or a final stand. Far from it. It
could be France today and the United States tomorrow.
I should point out that there is but one mandatory function
constitutionally of the Federal Government. That is to provide for our
national defense. This is a constitutional duty and a moral imperative
that trumps any day of the week the charity of opening our doors to a
Syrian who will blow himself or herself up on our streets in the name
of Allah.
I say, if an ISIS member wants to meet Allah, that we give them every
opportunity to do so with a bomb from the air or a round of ammo from
the end of a Navy SEAL rifle that you would never want to be on the
wrong end of if you are the bad guy.
The good news is this: It doesn't require an occupation or an
enduring ground operation. I don't want that. No one wants that. But it
does mean that our entire strategy must evolve quickly and effectively.
We may have help from very motivated and a diverse capability of
French, British, German, and now even Russians. We must understand that
losing is not an option.
What we can't do is put 50 Special Operations Forces on the ground in
Syria, in the middle of a war zone, and then tell them they are not
there on a combat operation. You can't tell that to them, their family,
the entire free world. It is just divorced from the reality of what
they will face every day on the ground.
If you aren't going to send our servicemembers to win, do not send
them at all.
I would be happy to support a strategy to win if I actually believed
the President had one.
First and foremost, ID the threat. You cannot defeat a threat that
you cannot or will not identify.
Next, execute a strategy to win, not just tread water. It is not
about getting them jobs. It is about wiping them off the face of the
Earth. You annihilate the enemy. You don't contain it, especially not
this enemy.
You eliminate the threat. You don't literally, as a matter of policy,
escort that threat across our borders.
Here at home we must not move forward with the President's plan to
bring in several tens of thousands of refugees, especially and so
importantly, because we cannot identify who the bad ones are.
Not one Syrian refugee should be brought into America without knowing
with confidence that they do not pose a threat. We must not bury our
heads in the sand or try to click our heels together to an alternate
reality.
Last week was Veterans Day. We were again reminded of the sacrifices
that have been made through generations to protect our way of life.
Let's honor their memory, treasure American greatness, stand up for
freedom, and make sure what happened in Paris on Friday does not happen
on our own home turf tomorrow.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. That was excellent. Thank you, Mr.
Zeldin.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to offer my deepest sympathies and
condolences from the citizens of Ohio's Ninth Congressional District to
the people of France, our longstanding brothers and sisters in liberty.
To all whose loved ones were killed or hurt in the barbaric attacks in
Paris last weekend, we offer our prayers of comfort and consolation.
Our sincerest thanks are extended to the law enforcement officials
who bravely brought order, the health officials who ministered to those
who tragically lost their lives, and to the hundreds suffering injury.
Around the world, freedom-loving people are repeating the words of La
Marseillaise, the national anthem of France. This powerful song of
liberty against tyranny roused that nation when it was written at the
start of the French Revolution, just a few years after America's own
fight for liberty.
One verse seems especially appropriate to recite tonight. Translated
into English, it says: Sacred love of the Fatherland: Liberty,
cherished liberty, fight with thy defenders. Fight with thy defenders.
This is a message for the world today. America is fighting alongside
those who defend liberty. Surely, France.
We stand with those who fight for liberty--Combats avec tes
defenseurs.
The American people have long cherished and defended the spirit of
liberty alongside the people of France, and there is no greater symbol
of that in our harbor, New York Harbor, than the Statue of Liberty,
which reminds us always of the triumph of freedom over subjugated
people.
In modern times, France has been a founding member of NATO and a
permanent member of the United Nations
[[Page H8235]]
Security Council, and we will work together to defeat this enemy as we
have together defeated Nazism, communism, and now, as well, this new
threat.
We will have the finest intelligence assets that our nations have
placed on the ground in countries around the world.
We have used our intelligence assets here at home to keep out and
prevent those who would harm our people from coming inside our borders.
We always worry. We keep trying to make the security even better. But
we have come a long way since 9/11.
Each American can play an important role by reporting suspect
behavior they observe, and you can help our law enforcement officials
ferret out dangerous elements that could prey upon our own people.
On the home front, every citizen can help by paying attention to what
you see and, if suspicious, report it to your local law enforcement
officials and, in an emergency, to 911.
Also important is strengthening the bonds of community, at home, at
work, at school. Build bridges in your own community, including
religious confessions. Let's build bridges across religious confessions
in this country. Let no denomination feel isolated or abandoned at this
tense time.
We stand with the people of France. We feel their loss. We stand with
you as partners in liberty and forever keep in our hearts the enduring
call: Liberty, equality, and fraternity--liberte, egalite, fraternite.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from New York mentioned a minute ago about
our constitutional obligation and the moral imperatives that we have to
defend our homeland and our national defense, and I couldn't agree with
him more.
In that spirit, I want to start to conclude my comments by saying
something I think most agree with, and that is we need to enhance our
intelligence and our vetting process of those who come to our country,
including potential Syrian refugees, to reflect the seriousness of
threats posed by ISIS.
I want to go into a little bit of information that is easy to come by
if you have paid attention to this issue, as I have, and the reality of
the situation on the ground in Syria.
As a result of over 4 years of Syrian civil war, we are seeing the
worst humanitarian crisis since World War II, and we can and we will,
as America, continue to be a leader in the provision of aid and relief.
But we can't afford to put the cart before the horse when it comes to
admission policies here.
This year alone over half a million Syrian people are seeking refuge
in Europe, and our European allies are looking to us for assistance.
However, it is gravely concerning, I think, when your FBI Director, in
this case, James Comey, said earlier this year that our government is
unable to conduct thorough background checks on the 10,000 Syrian
refugees that the administration will allow in the United States. His
quote: We have no record of them, and you can only query what you have
collected.
Mr. Speaker, the concerns and objections that I am raising aren't
just mine. They are the multitude of phone calls and e-mails that my
office has received today and I suspect all Members have received
today.
It is not isolationist. It is not anti-humanitarian. It is common
sense, and it is in the name of making sure that we are protecting our
people and securing our homeland from threats.
It is not unreasonable to conduct due diligence on who is coming into
our country, and we can't move forward with a policy of admit first and
ask later. We have to close the gaps in our screening process of
refugees entering into our country.
The Homeland Security Committee chairman, Mr. McCaul, recently
introduced legislation H.R. 3573, the Refugee Resettlement Oversight
and Security Act. It would make substantial improvements to our refugee
program and enhance congressional oversight of the administration's
refugee proposals.
Many don't know that Congress right now does not have much, if any,
say over our refugee admission policy. This bill is intended to change
that. It would require, amongst other things, GAO to review the
security gaps in the current screening process.
The President, as I mentioned, has proposed resettling at least
10,000 Syrian refugees currently residing outside the Syria conflict
zone in refugee camps to the U.S. this fiscal year.
I quote from correspondence I had the opportunity to review today
that Chairman McCaul wrote to the President: ``We remain concerned that
these resettlements are taking place without appropriate regard for the
safety of the American people.''
{time} 2145
Nothing is more fundamental. Nothing gets at the core of what our
Constitution is intended to protect as that statement.
In his correspondence, Mr. Speaker, he cites to a couple pieces of
testimony that he received this past summer from various officials.
Leaders from the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the
Department of Homeland Security have all said to our Homeland Security
Committee that they lack the on-the-ground intelligence necessary to
thoroughly vet Syrian refugees who seek to resettle here.
National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen
testified on October 21 that you have to rely on a vet. When you are
vetting an applicant's information, his opinion is this: ``It isn't
what we'd like it to be.''
FBI Director Comey explained during that same hearing: ``If someone
has not made a ripple in the pond in Syria in a way that would get
their identity or their interests reflected in our database, we can
query our database until the cows come home, but nothing will show up
because we have no record of that person. You can only query what you
have collected.''
I mentioned a piece of that statement a little earlier. That is the
full statement. And it gets to the point that, as we are concerned
about our security and we are trusting the administration to properly
vet those who seek to come here, we have to rely on intelligence, and
our intelligence leaders are offering something less than full
confidence that their intelligence on those Syrian refugees is
something that we need to look a lot further at. That is what I think
we need to do.
Finally, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Johnson said: ``It
is true that we are not going to know a whole lot about the Syrians
that come forth in this process.''
Now, I know tomorrow at 5:30, I believe, we will have a confidential
briefing from the FBI Director and our Director on Homeland Security.
Mr. Speaker, my point here this evening was just to raise some issues
that, frankly, were on the front of my mind and many others in my
district and many other Members of Congress even before the tragedy
that happened in Paris on Friday. What happened on Friday only
reinforces in me and many others that ISIS isn't contained, and, in
fact, a strategy of containment is actually a dangerous one; and
further, as we are looking at the Syrian readmission policy, it cannot
be allowed to remain as it presently is. Be it through legislation or
be it through this administration's providing us more detail and
allowing Congress and the American people to get a better understanding
of what is and isn't happening I think would go a long way towards
making us feel a lot safer. In fact, if reforms need to be made, if the
program needs to be halted at the present time, then that is what
should be done.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for participating in the
Special Order this evening.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________