[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 179 (Thursday, December 10, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1770-E1771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT'S PLAN TO DEFEAT ISIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 10, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday evening, President 
Obama addressed the nation and detailed his four-part plan, as 
Commander-in-Chief, to keep the American people safe from terrorist 
acts committed by terrorist groups like ISIL and al Qaeda or by persons 
abroad or lone wolf ``franchise terrorists'' at home who are inspired 
by groups that profane the peaceful religion of Islam.
  First, the plan calls for our military to continue hunting down 
terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary.
  In Iraq and Syria, American airpower has been used to great effect, 
taking out ISIL leaders, heavy weapons, oil tankers, and 
infrastructure.
  Second, the plan calls for the United States to take away safe havens 
for terrorists by continuing to provide training and equipment to the 
tens of thousands of Iraqi and Syrian forces fighting ISIL.
  The third part of the plan involves working with friends and allies 
to disrupt ISIL's operations by cutting off access to financing and 
disrupting recruitment efforts.
  Finally, the plan calls for continued American leadership, working in 
conjunction with the international community, to establish a process--
and timeline--to pursue ceasefires and a political resolution to the 
Syrian civil war.
  Ending the civil war in Syria will allow the Syrian people, our 
allies, and also Russia, to focus on the common goal of destroying 
ISIL.
  Critics have every right to disagree with the President's approach 
but they also have an obligation to propose realistic and practical 
alternatives to the President's plan, which, by the way, has been 
designed by American military commanders and counterterrorism experts 
and supported by the 65 countries that are part of the American-led 
coalition.
  Our quarrel is not with Islam so I also commend the President's 
appeal for calm, unity, and cooperation among all persons of goodwill 
both in the United States and around the world.
  The terrorist attacks in San Bernardino were horrific acts on 
innocent civilians perpetrated

[[Page E1771]]

by depraved individuals who pledge allegiance to organizations that 
misuse the peaceful religion of Islam for their own misguided purposes.
  Such horrible and heinous acts are the responsibility of the 
perpetrators, and theirs alone, and for which they can be assured that 
they alone will be held accountable.
  This was one of the central messages conveyed during the Prayer Vigil 
and Unity Press Conference I led last Sunday afternoon in Houston, the 
4th largest and most diverse city in the United States.
  In addition to the steps laid out by the President, I also believe 
there are additional steps the Congress should take, including bringing 
to the floor for debate and vote to pass H.R. 48, the ``No Fly for 
Foreign Fighters Act,'' that I introduced earlier this year.
  This legislation would require TSA to check the Terrorist Screening 
Database and the terrorist watch list used in determining whether to 
permit a passenger to board a U.S.-bound or domestic flight and to take 
appropriate steps to ensure that those who pose a threat to aviation 
safety or national security are included in the Terrorism Database.
  I ask a moment of silence for the victims killed and injured in the 
attacks by franchise terrorists last Wednesday in San Bernardino, 
California.

                          ____________________