[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.

                          ____________________