[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 20, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S101-S102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           AMERICAN SAFE ACT

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, similar to most Americans listening to 
President Obama's State of the Union Address last week, I found his 
take on national security and world affairs rather surprising.
  According to a poll in December, 60 percent of the American people 
see national security and terrorism as a major concern, and they have 
good reason to be worried.
  As President Obama finishes his last year in office, Syria is wracked 
by civil war, Iraq is in turmoil, Russian aggression is growing, North 
Korea has tested yet another nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia and Iran are 
immersed in a cold war, and ISIS continues its campaign of terror. Yet, 
according to the President, we have nothing to worry about; America's 
leadership is strong, and we are headed in the right direction.
  Unfortunately, this fairytale version of our global situation stands 
in stark contrast with reality. In his State of the Union Address, the 
President did acknowledge: ``The world will look to us to help solve 
these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk.''
  Well, I couldn't agree more, but unfortunately tough talk with no 
action has been the hallmark of this administration. In 2011, after the 
onset of the Syrian civil war, both President Obama and then-Secretary 
of State Hillary Clinton stated unconditionally that Syrian President 
Bashar al-Assad had to go. The President drew a line in the sand: If 
Assad used chemical weapons, America would act. But when Assad flouted 
this red line, killing his own people--including women and children--
with the large-scale use of sarin gas, the President chose to forgo a 
decided military response and instead pursue negotiations involving the 
Russians, working out a compromise that ultimately strengthened Assad's 
position, and the results of the President's decision have not been 
pretty.
  In the wake of the negotiations, an emboldened Vladimir Putin invaded 
Crimea and eastern Ukraine, and the situation in Syria got worse. It 
appears now that the Assad administration will outlast Obama's. Worse, 
our allies in the Middle East no longer trust America to come to their 
aid. The President's failure to back up his tough talk with action has 
undermined American leadership, and this may take years, if not 
decades, to repair.

[[Page S102]]

  This week the Senate is taking up the American Security Against 
Foreign Enemies Act, which addresses the Syrian refugee crisis--another 
byproduct, I might add, of the President's failure to uphold his red 
line. With Syria, both the United States and the European powers have 
had to learn a lesson the hard way: If you don't take action to solve 
the problem, the people who are suffering will end up on your doorstep.
  Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed in this conflict. 
Assad continues to use chlorine bombs indiscriminately to kill his own 
people, and ISIS executes anyone who is not considered loyal. It is no 
wonder the Syrian people want out.
  Yet, with the mass exodus of refugees come other security concerns, 
including the threat of ISIS infiltrating the refugee population. 
Senior and U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials have made it 
clear they are concerned that we don't have the ability to adequately 
vet Syrian refugees. As we know from reports, at least one of the 
terrorists responsible for the deadly attacks in Paris passed through a 
refugee processing checkpoint in Greece.
  To quote the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, ``I 
don't . . . put it past the likes of ISIL to infiltrate operatives 
among those refugees . . . that's a huge concern of ours.''
  The American SAFE Act helps address this concern by requiring the 
FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National 
Intelligence to certify that Syrian and Iraqi refugees have been 
thoroughly vetted and do not pose a security risk before they are 
allowed to enter the country. This is a reasonable request, and if the 
administration wants to assure the American people that these refugees 
are not a threat, then it should have no problem providing such 
certifications.
  I plan to file an amendment to this bill that would also give more 
authority to individual States when it comes to the resettlement of 
refugees. Last year, many Governors expressed a desire, shared by their 
constituents, that Syrian refugees not be resettled in their States. My 
amendment would grant Governors a presence at weekly refugee 
resettlement meetings within the State Department and give those 
Governors veto power over the resettlement of certain refugees in their 
States. Under my amendment, if a Governor's office is not satisfied 
that its security concerns have been addressed by the required security 
checks, the Governor can veto the resettlement question. Any refugee, 
once admitted to the United States, would still be free to travel from 
State to State as he or she pleased. This amendment would simply 
increase States' rights by giving Governors a say in any decisions by 
the Federal Government to resettle large populations of refugees in 
their States. This is a reasonable solution to the concerns that were 
raised by the Governors of over 30 States, and I hope we can have a 
vote on this amendment.
  Over the weekend, the world witnessed another byproduct of President 
Obama's failing foreign policy. Thanks to a provision of the 
President's flawed nuclear deal with Iran, more than $100 billion of 
frozen Iranian assets and oil revenue were made available to the 
Islamic Republic of Iran. This means that Iran's Revolutionary Guard, 
including the Quds Force--which is responsible for the deaths of 
hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq--just received a big influx of 
cash. Again, this is thanks to the deal President Obama considers to be 
perhaps the major foreign policy achievement of his Presidency.
  While I am glad that the hostages held by Iran are coming home to 
their families, it is a mistake to think this means Iran all of a 
sudden will now play nice. Iran's leadership knows very well that it 
won the lottery with this nuclear deal, and it desperately wants 
Iranian assets unfrozen and sanctions lifted. Now that the Iranian 
leadership has received its payout, Iran will be further emboldened.
  When negotiating this deal, the Obama administration assured Congress 
that the United States would make sure Iran kept its end of the 
bargain. Well, it is already clear from October's ballistic missile 
test that Iran is determined to test the President's resolve and flout 
international restrictions. We cannot let those provocations go 
unanswered.
  President Obama is right that when conflict arises, the world looks 
to the United States for leadership. However, it takes more than talk 
to provide the leadership the world needs. In his last year in office, 
I hope President Obama will move beyond rhetoric and start offering 
realistic solutions to the growing number of security concerns that 
face our Nation.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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