[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 96 (Thursday, June 16, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H3919-H3925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COUNTERING TERRORIST RADICALIZATION ACT
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5471) to combat terrorist recruitment in the United States,
and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5471
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Countering
Terrorist Radicalization Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act
is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I--AMPLIFYING LOCAL EFFORTS TO ROOT OUT TERROR
Sec. 101. Countering violent extremism training.
Sec. 102. Countering violent extremism assessment.
Sec. 103. Department-sponsored clearances.
Sec. 104. Definitions.
TITLE II--COUNTERMESSAGING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
Sec. 201. Directive.
TITLE III--COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISORY BOARD
Sec. 301. Department of Homeland Security Counterterrorism Advisory
Board.
TITLE IV--PROHIBITION ON NEW FUNDING
Sec. 401. Prohibition on new funding.
TITLE I--AMPLIFYING LOCAL EFFORTS TO ROOT OUT TERROR
SEC. 101. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM TRAINING.
(a) Authorization of Training.--The Secretary of Homeland
Security is authorized to provide training for personnel,
including Department of Homeland Security personnel, State,
local, tribal, and territorial representatives at State and
major urban area fusion centers for the purpose of
administering community awareness briefings and related
activities in furtherance of the Department's efforts to
counter violent extremism, identify and report suspicious
activities, and increase awareness of and more quickly
identify terrorism threats, including the travel or attempted
travel of individuals from the United States to support a
foreign terrorist organization (as such term is described in
section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1189)) abroad.
(b) Coordination.--To the extent practicable, in providing
the training under subsection (a), the Secretary shall
coordinate with the heads of other Federal agencies engaged
in community outreach related to countering violent extremism
and shall also coordinate with such agencies in the
administration of related activities, including community
awareness briefings.
SEC. 102. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM ASSESSMENT.
(a) Assessment Required.--Not later than 120 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, in consultation with appropriate State, local,
tribal, and territorial representatives, shall assess the
efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to support
countering violent extremism at the State, local, tribal, and
territorial levels. Such assessment shall include each of the
following:
(1) A cataloging of departmental efforts to assist State,
local, tribal, and territorial governments in countering
violent extremism.
(2) A review of cooperative agreements between the
Department and such governments relating to countering
violent extremism.
(3) An evaluation of departmental plans and any potential
opportunities to better support such governments that are in
furtherance of the Department's countering violent extremism
objectives and are consistent with all relevant
constitutional, legal, and privacy protections.
(b) Submission to Congress.--Not later than 150 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act and consistent with the
protection of classified information, the Secretary of
Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees the findings of the assessment
required under subsection (a) together with any related
information regarding best practices for countering violent
extremism at the State, local, tribal, and territorial
levels.
SEC. 103. DEPARTMENT-SPONSORED CLEARANCES.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall notify the
appropriate congressional committees of the number of
employees of State, local, tribal, and territorial
governments with security clearances sponsored by the
Department of Homeland Security. Such notification shall
include a detailed list of the agencies that employ such
employees, the level of clearance held by such employees, and
whether such employees are assigned as representatives to
State and major urban area fusion centers.
SEC. 104. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) The term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and the Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the
Senate.
(2) The term ``violent extremism'' means ideologically
motivated international terrorism or domestic terrorism, as
such terms are defined in section 2331 of title 18, United
States Code.
TITLE II--COUNTERMESSAGING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
SEC. 201. DIRECTIVE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
incorporate, to the extent practicable, into Department of
Homeland Security efforts to combat terrorist recruitment and
communications the public testimonials of former violent
extremists or their associates, including friends and family.
Such efforts may include the following:
(1) Countermessaging of foreign terrorist organization
communications and narratives.
(2) Related community engagement and public education
efforts.
(b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Homeland Security
shall, where appropriate, coordinate the efforts described in
subsection (a) with the heads of other Federal departments
and agencies, as appropriate, and, to the extent practicable,
engage nongovernmental and international partners in the
identification and use of testimonials described in such
subsection.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be
construed to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to
collect testimonials directly from former violent extremists
or their associates, including friends and family.
TITLE III--COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISORY BOARD
SEC. 301. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY COUNTERTERRORISM
ADVISORY BOARD.
(a) In General.--At the end of subtitle A of title II of
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 121 et seq.)
insert the following new section:
``SEC. 210G. DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION ON COUNTERTERRORISM.
``(a) Establishment.--There is in the Department a board to
be composed of senior representatives of departmental
operational components and headquarters elements. The purpose
of the board shall be to coordinate and integrate
departmental intelligence, activities, and policy related to
the counterterrorism mission and functions of the Department.
[[Page H3920]]
``(b) Charter.--There shall be a charter to govern the
structure and mission of the board. Such charter shall direct
the board to focus on the current threat environment and the
importance of aligning departmental counterterrorism
activities under the Secretary's guidance. The charter shall
be reviewed and updated every four years, as appropriate.
``(c) Members.--
``(1) Chair.--The Secretary shall appoint a Coordinator for
Counterterrorism within the Department who will serve as the
chair of the board.
``(2) Additional members.--The Secretary shall appoint
additional members of the board from among the following:
``(A) The Transportation Security Administration.
``(B) United States Customs and Border Protection.
``(C) United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
``(D) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
``(E) The Coast Guard.
``(F) United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
``(G) The United States Secret Service.
``(H) The National Protection and Programs Directorate.
``(I) The Office of Operations Coordination.
``(J) The Office of the General Counsel.
``(K) The Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
``(L) The Office of Policy.
``(M) The Science and Technology Directorate.
``(N) Other Departmental offices and programs as determined
appropriate by the Secretary.
``(d) Meetings.--The board shall meet on a regular basis to
discuss intelligence and coordinate ongoing threat mitigation
efforts and departmental activities, including coordination
with other Federal, State, local, tribal, territorial, and
private sector partners, and shall make recommendations to
the Secretary.
``(e) Terrorism Alerts.--The board shall advise the
Secretary on the issuance of terrorism alerts pursuant to
section 203 of this Act.
``(f) Prohibition on Additional Funds.--No additional funds
are authorized to carry out this section.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section
1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 210F the following new item:
``Sec. 210G. Departmental coordination on counterterrorism.''.
(c) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the
Coordinator for Counterterrorism, shall submit to the
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the status and
activities of the board established under section 210G of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a).
TITLE IV--PROHIBITION ON NEW FUNDING
SEC. 401. PROHIBITION ON NEW FUNDING.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this Act or the amendments made by this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. McCaul) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and to include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we are a nation at war, and our own city streets have
once again become the front lines. The tragedy in Orlando is the
deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in the homeland since 9/11.
It reminds us that nearly 15 years after that fateful day, our enemies
are still dead set on attacking us from outside and from within.
To defend our Nation, we need to take decisive action, and that is
why we are here today. We will not stand on the sidelines while
fanatics try to brainwash Americans. We will not allow Islamist
radicals to bring terror to our cities. We will not wait patiently and
hope the threat goes away.
To honor the memory of the victims in Orlando, we must dedicate
ourselves to preventing terrorists from gaining a foothold in our
communities. That is why, today, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R.
5471, the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act. The bill is an
important step toward stopping acts of terror in our homeland, and I
only wish it had been sent to the President's desk sooner.
We have combined three counterterrorism bills into one. All of the
bills were voted out of the House earlier this year with strong,
bipartisan majorities. Together, these measures ramp up our efforts to
keep violent extremists from luring Americans down the path to
violence.
This bill will put into place measures to help communities spot signs
of violent radicalization and to actively combat the propaganda of
terrorist groups like ISIS. For instance, it requires the Department of
Homeland Security to use the testimonials of former extremists to
dissuade others from making the wrong choice. Such individuals know the
brutality of terrorist groups firsthand, and they can be powerful
messengers for shutting down radical recruitment.
Overall, this bill implements several important recommendations from
a bipartisan task force we created last year to look at the threat and
vulnerabilities to the homeland. Task force members found glaring gaps
in our security and declared that we were not doing enough here at home
to fight terror and terrorist radicalization--and they were right.
Islamist terrorists were working to infiltrate our country online and
across borders, and we have failed to keep up with the pace. In just
the past 2 years, ISIS alone has been linked to nearly 100 plots
against the West, and the United States was the top target.
Sadly, the violence has become so frequent that we have begun
referring to attacks by their location: Boston, Chattanooga, Paris, San
Bernardino, Brussels, and now Orlando. We must resolve to do everything
in our power to keep our cities from being added to this deadly list,
and today we can make a difference.
I would like to thank Representatives John Katko, Barry Loudermilk,
and Chuck Fleischmann for their leadership on these bills that were
incorporated into this piece of legislation. I would also like to thank
the committee's ranking member, Bennie Thompson, for his leadership and
the other Democrats on our committee for their bipartisan work on this
task force and on these measures.
While radicalism may be resurgent worldwide, I want to remind my
colleagues that we still have the upper hand. Our resilient response to
the Orlando tragedy has sent a message to America's enemies that we
will not be intimidated, we will not allow fanatics to attack our
freedoms, and that resolve will allow us to prevail over anyone who
seeks to do this country harm.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5471, the Countering Terrorism
Radicalization Act.
Mr. Speaker, America is still absorbing the devastation that was
inflicted on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend.
This attack is the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Forty-
nine innocent, mostly young, people were killed, and 53 others were
maimed.
We do not know with any certainty what exactly drove the perpetrators
to carry out this hateful act, but there is one thing we do know beyond
the shadow of a doubt: divisive rhetoric that pits Americans against
each other and empty gestures will do nothing to heal Orlando's deep
wounds or prevent the next attack.
Unfortunately, railing against the American Muslim community is all
that some, including the presumptive Republican nominee, are offering.
Meanwhile, empty gestures like yet another moment of silence and an
expedited House consideration of repackaged measures that are already
pending in the Senate is as far as the House Republican leadership is
willing to go.
Although there is little to object to in H.R. 5471, particularly
since it codifies what the Department of Homeland Security is already
doing, it is important to state on the record that it offers little
response to the Orlando attack.
Sadly, when it comes to preventing mass shootings in houses of
worship, schools, workplaces, or other public spaces, the American
public has come to expect very little from this Congress. The
legislation before us today
[[Page H3921]]
will not change that. It authorizes a counterterrorism coordinating
body that already exists within DHS; training on how to do community
awareness briefings, which DHS already does; the utilization of public
testimonies to counter violent extremism, which the Department has
repeatedly told Congress it already has the authority to do; and an
assessment of how DHS partners with local communities to counter
violent extremism.
The House has spoken on provisions of H.R. 5471, and DHS is already
carrying out the activities it authorizes. As such, there is nothing
objectionable on the four corners of the pages of this bill, Mr.
Speaker.
What I do object to, Mr. Speaker, is the House not acting on measures
that could help prevent the next mass shooting. For instance, there is
H.R. 1076, the so-called No Fly, No Buy Act, a bipartisan measure
introduced by my Republican colleague from the Committee on Homeland
Security, Peter King, to allow the FBI to prohibit a person on the
terrorist watch list from purchasing a firearm. Mr. Speaker, you can't
fly, but you can buy a gun in the United States of America. This could
be and should be fixed.
Closing this Homeland Security gap in our laws has the support of 83
percent of Americans, including gun owners like myself. Moreover, 180
Members of this Chamber have signaled their support by signing a
discharge petition to demand the bill's immediate consideration.
Analysis issued this week by the Government Accountability Office
underscores the need for action. It found that 90 percent of the people
on the terrorist watch list who attempted to legally purchase firearms
were successful. Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of the people who are on the
terrorist watch list bought guns in this country.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the 1-year anniversary of the terrorist
attack on Mother Emanuel in Charleston, South Carolina. That deadly
attack carried out in furtherance of a violent ideology claimed the
lives of nine people gathered in prayer and fellowship. It was carried
out by a domestic terrorist who, like the perpetrators of attacks in
San Bernardino and Orlando, were radicalized by Internet propaganda.
Nothing in the legislation we are considering today would have stopped
that ideologically motivated mass shooting.
Before I reserve my time, I would take this opportunity to again
highlight that those with a single-minded focus on one foreign
terrorist organization, namely ISIL, as is the case with H.R. 5471, are
turning a blind eye to a gathering storm.
In just the past year, the number of antigovernment groups espousing
violence has increased threefold. Since 2008, when the Southern Poverty
Law Center numbered antigovernment groups at 149, there has been a 670
percent increase. Yes, today, there are 998 antigovernment groups in
America.
Mr. Speaker, the victims of past mass shootings, their families, and
all Americans deserve meaningful action, not empty gestures.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
5471, the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act, so we can improve
efforts in fighting radical Islamic terrorism.
Horrific lone-wolf terrorist attacks like the one that occurred in
Orlando only a few days ago continue to threaten our Nation.
H.R. 5471 is a package of three bills that will accomplish three
goals in our fight against terrorism: it will increase our efforts to
counter radicalization of terrorist recruitment; it will increase
countermeasures to prevent ISIS from using social media to recruit and
radicalize potential recruits in our communities; and it will ensure
agencies like the Department of Homeland Security are effectively using
intelligence, operations, and policy to fight terrorism. With the
passage of this bill, we will give our law enforcement officers and our
communities greater resources to fight against terrorism.
I commend Chairman McCaul and the sponsors of each of the underlying
bills for their leadership and hard work on this legislation.
I would also like to offer my thoughts and prayers to the families
and victims of the Orlando terrorist attack.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the assistant leader for
the Democratic Caucus.
Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, on tomorrow, we are going to commemorate
the first anniversary of the events that occurred at Emanuel AME
Church.
{time} 0930
On Sunday, AME churches all over the country will be commemorating
this great loss. I will be in Lakeland, Florida, at the Bethel AME
Church, and we are going to be praying and singing and hoping, hoping
that at some point in the not too distant future this House, this
Congress will recognize that we have a big, big problem that must be
solved.
Why is it that this young man, who was not eligible to purchase a
firearm, was able to get one?
He got one because there is a loophole in that law that says the 3-
day background check is not operative if you don't complete the
background check in 3 days. So the reasons that exist for him not to
have a firearm still existed on the fourth and fifth day.
Now, I have no idea of why the information got keyed in wrong. It was
Columbia versus West Columbia. And when they detected it, this
gentleman had the firearm and was off to Charleston, South Carolina, my
congressional district, where he murdered nine people. He allowed one
of them to live so she could tell the story, and two others played
dead. The Charleston 12. Well, I am hopeful that the people of goodwill
in this body will do something to close this loophole.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the majority whip.
Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Chairman McCaul, for
bringing this package of bills to the House floor, and I especially
want to thank Representatives Fleischmann, Katko, and Loudermilk for
their leadership in saying that we need to focus our efforts on the
problem that we have in this country, and that is terrorists are
radicalizing Americans.
Time after time now we have seen more than a dozen terrorist attacks
on American soil in the last 7 years. Unfortunately, some people around
this town want to try to take advantage of that as an opportunity to
talk about gun control, taking away rights of law-abiding citizens, Mr.
Speaker, instead of focusing on the problem. They don't just use guns.
They use pressure cookers, they use pipe bombs, they use axes, they use
the Internet to recruit Americans. It is time we put a sharper focus on
solving this problem and addressing the fact that Americans are being
radicalized and carrying out terrorist attacks here in the United
States. It is going to continue until there is a sharper focus.
This package of bills puts the focus where it needs to be. It is time
for the President to join with us to actually speak out in getting more
tools to our intelligence agencies to go and do a better job of rooting
out the attacks that are here on our homefront. This is no hypothetical
problem. Terrorism has come to the United States.
Our hearts and prayers are with the victims of the attack in Orlando
as well as the attacks that we have seen all throughout this country
and that, no doubt, are being planned right now against Americans here
on our home soil.
It is time that we take action. I am so glad that the House has
already moved a package of bills. This package right here that we are
passing today puts a sharper focus on the real problem, and that is
rooting out radicalization of Americans on our home soil. Let's stop
the terrorism here. Pass this bill.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I support the majority
whip's position. We have already voted on the bills. We have already
sent them over to the Senate. It is just repackaging them again and
sending them over again. They are in charge.
I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson).
Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, is this some kind of cruel
[[Page H3922]]
joke? We have already passed these bills, and we are bringing them up
again today?
Just a few days ago we lost 49 innocent lives in the worst mass
shooting our country has ever seen. Sadly, this isn't an isolated case.
In the 3 years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook, there have been over
1,100 mass shootings and more than 34,000 lives have been cut short by
someone using a gun.
What have we done?
We have held 30 moments of silence since Sandy Hook, but we haven't
taken a single vote on legislation that would help keep guns out of
dangerous hands. That is shameful. The American people deserve more
than silence. The American people deserve a Congress that is willing to
stand up and do what it takes to help keep our communities safe.
Republican leaders claim that these bills brought before the House
for consideration today are a significant response to the worst mass
shooting in U.S. history. They claim that because this was an act of
terrorism, we don't need to take a vote on legislation to prevent gun
violence.
The fact of the matter is, this act of terrorism was an act of gun
violence. Over 100 people were shot, 49 shot dead, and today in
America, suspected terrorists can still legally buy guns. Individuals
on our FBI's terrorist watch list can walk into a gun store, pass a
background check, and walk out with the gun or guns of their choosing,
legally.
Since 2004, more than 2,000 suspected terrorists were able to
purchase guns. I think that is wrong and so does the overwhelming
majority of the American people. There is bipartisan legislation that
would prohibit those on the terrorist watch list from being able to
purchase firearms in our country. That is the bill we should be voting
on today, not three bills that we have already voted and passed out of
the House.
If Republicans agree that suspected terrorists shouldn't be able to
buy guns, bring up that bill for a vote today.
What is it that the majority is afraid of? Is your fear greater than
that of the fear of the people hiding for their lives in that nightclub
in Orlando?
Give us a vote.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk).
Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, terrorism is no longer just a national
issue as we deemed it after 9/11. The attacks of terrorism are
affecting our local communities, and we must address those that are
perpetrating these attacks, not just simply go after the tools that
they choose to use. The Boston bombers chose to use a pressure cooker,
a bomb. There have been attacks using knives, there have been attacks
using hatchets, there have been attacks using cars. It is the
perpetrator of these acts of violence that we must address.
Earlier this year, the House passed a bill called the ALERT Act, a
bill that I authored that is amplifying local efforts to root out
terrorism, which, by the way, removes bureaucratic barriers and paves
the way for the Federal Government to enhance State and local law
enforcement's involvement in fighting the war on terrorism. By
providing the tools and training needed to combat terrorism on multiple
levels, the act provides for more efficient cooperation and
coordination with State and local officials.
Today, everyone has to play a part in protecting against terrorism,
from the neighbor next door to the local law enforcement officer. While
no legislation in itself will end the threat of terrorism against our
Nation, we can better utilize the valuable resources found right within
our communities.
In hopes of getting the ALERT Act and two other key pieces of
Homeland Security legislation to the President's desk, we have packaged
them into one comprehensive bill entitled the ``Countering Terrorist
Radicalization Act.'' I appreciate Chairman McCaul's leadership and
sponsorship in this important piece of legislation to help stop future
acts.
As we are experiencing an increase in acts of terrorism by radical
Islamic terrorists that directly threaten our own communities, we must
reevaluate how we combat these terrorist threats. This joint piece of
legislation will better secure America by helping local law enforcement
combat terrorism, keeping terrorists from entering our borders,
stopping radicalization, and evaluating better security methods as we
move forward.
I also want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Katko and Mr. Fleischmann,
for their hard work on advancing their bills. I appreciate their
collateral effort as we strive to protect Americans from violent
terrorist attacks.
Because threats against America are rapidly increasing, we cannot
afford to be stagnant. We must act, and we must act now.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond).
Mr. RICHMOND. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me
the time today.
Let me just say that we face a very serious problem in this country,
and when you face a very serious problem, it deserves a serious,
thoughtful response that actually goes toward solving the problem.
So what do we have here today after 49 innocent lives were taken in
Orlando? When we had mass shootings in Aurora, Newtown, Roseburg, San
Bernardino, and mass shootings that occur in urban communities far too
often, what do we do?
We just heard it. We repackaged bills that we passed on January 29,
April 26, and May 16 so that somebody could come up here today and say
that we solved or attempted to solve a problem on June 16 by doing what
we did the last couple of months. That is not leadership, and it is not
a serious, thoughtful solution to the problems we have.
We could be talking about, debating, and passing no fly, no buy. We
could talk about and pass the Charleston loophole. We could talk about
high-capacity magazines that allow one person to walk into a nightclub
and mow down 49 people and injure another 53. There is no deer hunting,
there is no legitimate purpose for a high-capacity magazine other than
to expeditiously take human life. If you are not at war, it has no
place on the streets of America. We can also talk about assault
weapons.
Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member, let me just say this: It is sad
to say that this response today is a response that lacks leadership. It
is a response that does nothing new. We passed this legislation with
bipartisan support. So I would just say that this is a very impotent
response to a very serious problem so that we can repackage, rebrand,
and mislead the American people by saying we did something when, in
fact, we did nothing.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Katko).
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, our Nation has experienced a tragedy for
sure. This past weekend's terrorist attack in Orlando is just the
latest in an increasingly long list of homegrown violent extremist
attacks. Our Nation is not only grieving the loss of 49 innocent
people, but is also facing the reality of having witnessed the most
deadly terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11.
I am concerned about ISIS' persistence in inflicting harm to all
those who disagree with their ideology. Authorities are investigating
over 800 ISIS-linked cases and have discovered 89 plots against the
West, including 25 in the United States, and the list is growing year
after year.
This body has been investigating radical extremism since I came to
this Chamber 18 months ago. I was fortunate and honored to lead the
bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter
Travel, which highlighted many of the vulnerabilities which came to
light in Orlando, Chattanooga, Garland, and San Bernardino. The nature
of the task force shows that domestic radicalization has been on the
rise. The issue is not a partisan issue. It is an American issue.
Omar Mateen's cowardly actions are a stark reminder of the resilience
of the enemy we face today. However, this Chamber, with the leadership
of Speaker Ryan and Chairman McCaul, has put forth solutions. The bill
before us today encapsulates several ideas that my peers and I have
worked on for months that outline ways to improve our counterterrorism
efforts here at home.
Included in this bill is a provision which authorizes the
Counterterrorism Advisory Board, which is modeled after
[[Page H3923]]
a bill introduced earlier this year in Congress, H.R. 4407. This
section specifically codifies the administrative body that would
integrate intelligence, operations, and policy components so our law
enforcement and intelligence partners can coordinate actions more
effectively and expeditiously; in short, getting them talking together
better, getting them working together better, getting them sharing
information together better, and getting better chances of stopping
these acts from happening.
{time} 0945
This bill provides flexibility in the board's charter to ensure the
continued ability to encounter tomorrow's threats.
Finally, I would like to end by thanking Speaker Ryan and Chairman
McCaul for their continued leadership on this issue.
My heart goes out to the victims and families of Sunday's tragic
attacks in Orlando.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, we have had a number of
people talk about San Bernardino. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from California (Mr. Aguilar), whose district includes San Bernardino,
where the shooting occurred.
Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to speak on something that,
frankly, I am sick and tired of having to discuss: House Republicans'
refusal to address our Nation's gun violence epidemic.
On December 2, I will never forget how I felt as I walked off this
House floor. I had just voted to allow debate on keeping guns out of
the hands of suspected terrorists--the no fly, no buy--which was
blocked by House Republicans, when I received a barrage of text
messages about what was unfolding in my hometown of San Bernardino.
When I heard the news this weekend on Sunday morning, my heart sank.
Again. This time, Orlando. This time.
We cannot afford to stand in silence when people are being massacred
in bars, when coworkers are being slaughtered at their holiday parties,
when churchgoers are being murdered in their place of worship, and when
first graders are assassinated in classrooms.
Where do we draw the line? When will we say: Enough is enough?
Preventing domestic abusers, convicted felons, and terrorists from
obtaining guns will make our communities safer without infringing on
responsible gun owners' right to bear arms. There is no reason to
believe that the Second Amendment and commonsense gun reform are
mutually exclusive.
Thoughts and prayers are nice, but they don't stop suspected
terrorists from getting a firearm. Thoughts and prayers are nice, but
they don't perform comprehensive background checks on domestic abusers
and those convicted felons who want to kill. Thoughts and prayers are
nice, but they don't stop rounds of bullets from ripping out of an
assault weapon and inflicting mass casualties on innocent Americans.
And thoughts and prayers should not be used as a replacement for taking
meaningful action to make our communities safer.
Just hours ago, we heard from Senator Murphy that the other Chamber
has reached a bipartisan agreement to allow votes on two important gun
safety measures.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an
additional 30 seconds.
Mr. AGUILAR. We just heard that, on those measures, they have reached
a bipartisan agreement to at least allow votes.
When will this Chamber do the same? When will we work to address
meaningful solutions rather than acting on recycled bills from months
ago that do little to address the issue?
I have said before that House Republicans' most significant action to
curb gun violence has been to hold a moment of silence, and I was
wrong. They have consistently and deliberately worked to prevent
commonsense reform from even being discussed in this Chamber. For that,
they should be ashamed.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).
Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the
Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act.
I want to thank the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee,
Chairman McCaul; Mr. Katko; and Mr. Loudermilk for joining the
legislation that I promoted and we passed in this House by a large
bipartisan majority.
Mr. Speaker, several weeks ago, a strong bipartisan group of Members
passed my legislation, H.R. 4820, the Combating Terrorist Recruitment
Act.
It is hard to believe that almost a year has passed since the
horrific shootings at two military installations in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, my hometown and the town in which I proudly represent those
great people in the United States House of Representatives. As many may
remember, four marines and one sailor were killed in the attack while
several others were wounded.
Just this past December, following the FBI investigation, Director
James Comey concluded that the shootings ``were motivated by foreign
terrorist organization propaganda.''
We have seen this pattern repeat in the evil attack in Orlando as
well as the attacks in San Bernardino, Paris, and Brussels. We need to
use every tool in our toolbox to combat Islamic extremism.
The Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act section of the bill
implements one key recommendation made by the Homeland Security
Committee's bipartisan task force specifically designed to counter
terrorist and foreign fighter travel. While it doesn't forbid DHS from
countering all forms of extremism, the bill does provide examples of
how DHS can fulfill the requirement, such as counter-messaging foreign
terrorist organizations that are actively recruiting in our country at
an alarming rate.
This bipartisan legislation requires the Secretary of Homeland
Security to amplify testimonials of former extremists and defectors to
fight the propaganda and recruitment of terrorist groups like ISIS.
Foreign terrorists are using technology to radicalize Americans at a
troubling pace that continues to increase. We must combat this.
More than 250 Americans have traveled or attempted to travel to fight
with jihadists in Syria and Iraq, and the FBI states that there are
open counterterrorism investigations in all 50 States, mostly ISIS-
related. Many of these individuals were pulled in by terrorist
propaganda.
ISIS is luring Americans with false promises that do not reflect true
reality on the ground in places like Syria and Iraq. The true reality
centers on fear, suffering, and the murder of innocent people
throughout the region and around the world.
Several recent defectors from ISIS have admitted that joining the
group was a terrible mistake. One young fighter said that he found it
very hard to live in the region and no longer believes the group
represents the religion.
I must state that we must do all we can to amplify the messages from
these disillusioned terrorists. We are doing this with the State
Department. We need to pass this bundle of bills. We need to come
together, Mr. Speaker, as Americans to fight radical Islamic terrorism
now. The American people deserve no less.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how
much time each side has remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Mississippi has 5\1/4\
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Texas has 5 minutes remaining.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) the minority leader.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi for
yielding, and I thank him for his tremendous leadership to keep our
homeland secure.
I come to the floor with the deepest sympathy for those lost in
Orlando. Of course, all of our prayers and thoughts are with their
families.
Earlier this week, we had a moment of silence, another moment of
silence; silence, which was followed by silence, silence, silence. No
action.
Today, on this floor, we are taking up legislation which is the
legislative equivalent of silence. We are putting
[[Page H3924]]
some warmed-over stew bills that have passed the House, combined in one
bill, once again, to go forward. But we are not taking the action
necessary, action that has bipartisan support overwhelmingly in the
country and has sufficient support in this House to be passed.
I beseech our Republican colleagues to join us in the no fly, no buy
legislation, which 87 percent of the public overwhelmingly--
Republicans, Independents, and even NRA members--support. It has
support in our country. It has understanding in our country. The only
place that it runs into trouble is in the House of Representatives.
The Senate has said now that they will promise a vote after a
substantial and most remarkable filibuster on the part of Senator Chris
Murphy all day yesterday and into the night.
The American people saw what the challenge was in getting something
done in Congress. He was promised a vote. I hope that we can have a
vote in the House on two bills that are overwhelmingly supported by the
public and have bipartisan support in the House.
Of course, we have the one bill: no fly, no buy. That means if you
are on the no-fly list, you cannot buy a gun.
In addition to that, we have the bill that has, by consensus, been
put together for sensible, reasonable background checks. That means, no
matter what the weapon is, unless you can pass a background check, you
can't buy it, whether it is a pistol or an AK-47.
Shamefully, the assault weapon ban has expired. There are those in
our midst who would like to remove the sunset from that bill, and that
is another conversation.
Right now, today, we are asking for two things. One, no fly, no buy.
Two, the Peter King of New York and Mike Thompson of California--a
Republican and a Democrat--cosponsored bills which would pass this
House, if given a vote.
I have seen some criticism on the part of the Republican leadership
in the House of those who have tired of doing moments of silence. I,
myself, think that it is appropriate for us to do that, but it is no
substitute for action. We have to question the sincerity of it, if we
mourn and don't act.
We carry the names of these young people who were killed in Orlando
in our hearts. It is clearly a hate crime. It is the one place where we
see very clearly where gun safety and homeland security come together.
Whatever the percentage of motivation was--terrorism, and the other, a
hate crime--on the part of the perpetrator, it doesn't matter. What
matters is that it was an assault on our homeland security. And what
matters is that it was a hate crime motivated in this pub where many
LGBT community members were gathered.
Let's lower the temperature on our interactions with each other. We
have said over and over again: Here we go with another moment of
silence. If we were real about it, if we were sincere about it, we
would act upon it. Clearly, we are all complicit, as long as we have
moments of silence and no legislation.
We are not a commemorative body. Yes, we have our resolutions and
moments of silence, but we are a legislative body, and we are supposed
to provide solutions. We are supposed to work together as much as
possible in a bipartisan way for those solutions. We are supposed to be
a reflection, a representative of the American people.
The American people are so far ahead of us in terms of common sense--
commonsense legislation: if you are on the no fly list, you can't buy a
gun; no fly, no buy--and common sense in saying that we want to have
reasonable, commonsense background checks, which has bipartisan support
in the House. I say it over and over again.
We have said we are Paris; we are Orlando. But what are we? We are
doing nothing. It would be the equivalent of somebody who is very sick
and the doctor says: I am going to give you a get well card, but I am
not going to give you any antidote for the pain or the problem that you
have.
{time} 1000
And this is what we have become, words, not deeds; words, not action.
The Gospel of James--I don't know if Mr. Clyburn, when he spoke
earlier, spoke about James, the Book of James, act deeds, not words.
And we are not even words. We are silent. We are silent.
So I beseech my colleagues to listen to the American people, to
understand the pain. And this happens so frequently. Since Orlando, 100
people have been shot in gun violence across our country--that was as
of yesterday, may be more by this morning.
So it is not just about the mass murders, as appalling as they are
and how strongly they hit home; it is about what is happening in the
streets of our country on a regular basis.
As I said, and I say this, I cannot see how, with all the good
intentions of silence and the rest of it, that this Congress can be a
handmaiden of the National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of
America. We are here to represent the people, and we should be doing
that.
Again, this is heartbreaking. Newtown was heartbreaking. Aurora was
heartbreaking. Columbine was heartbreaking. The reference our colleague
made earlier to assault on our military facilities is heartbreaking.
The assault on a Planned Parenthood clinic is heartbreaking. It is not
right. This isn't how we debate, discuss, disagree, come to solutions,
not with guns.
We all respect the Second Amendment. We all respect the Second
Amendment and the right to bear arms, but that doesn't mean in an
unfettered way, by people who have no business having them because of
their orientation. Let's have background checks to check that.
We can work together on the no fly, no buy in terms of how people are
informed, how law enforcement is informed across the board. But we
cannot go down a path that has been suggested by some who say, okay,
let's do that; now take it to court. Well, by the time you take it to
court, more people will die, just as Mr. Clyburn stated, as we are
observing the June 17, 1-year anniversary of the South Carolina
massacre. If you are not denied in 3 days, then you are cleared, when
they had a technical error that cleared somebody who should not have
been cleared.
So let's make it right, but let's do something. Let's act on the
values that we share to protect and defend the American people. That's
our first responsibility in terms of national security, in terms of
homeland security, in terms of community and personal security.
Let's not use these bills that we are taking up, once again, as an
excuse, as if we did something. No, we didn't do anything more. We are
just trying to make it look as if we did, and that is really
incriminating the Congress of the United States, when we know what to
do, we have bipartisan support to do it.
So I beseech our colleagues to join together, in a nonpartisan way,
to do the right thing, exercise common sense on behalf of the American
people. Again, we are Orlando.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Mimi Walters).
Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong
support of the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act.
As we mourn the death of the 49 Americans and pray for a full
recovery of the 53 who were injured in the terrorist attack in Orlando,
we know we must do more to combat radical Islamic extremism. The
Federal Government's primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of
the American people. This means strengthening our response to the
threat ISIS and other terrorist organizations pose to our homeland.
The House has passed several bills to combat radical Islamic
terrorism, prevent attacks, stop radicalization on our soil, and keep
terrorists from entering America. Each of the three bills included in
this legislation has already passed the House with wide bipartisan
support, but we must do everything we can to get them signed into law
as soon as possible.
I urge my colleagues to support the Countering Terrorist
Radicalization Act. We must send this bill to the Senate and on to the
President for his signature, and this must be done immediately. This is
essential to defeating ISIS and preventing radicalization here at home.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers,
and I reserve the balance of my time to close.
[[Page H3925]]
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Hurd).
Mr. HURD of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have spent most of my adult life
chasing down terrorists. I have gathered intelligence on their tactics
and their plans. I know how they think. I understand their motivations,
and I know what it takes to stop them.
Our Nation just experienced the worst terrorist attack on our
homeland since 9/11. While we mourn for our losses, we must also
determine to do what is necessary to keep ISIS and other terrorists
from ever doing this again.
Let me first say that some of the suggestions coming from both sides
of the aisle on how to stop terrorists are the wrong solutions. Banning
guns is not going to stop terrorists. Banning Muslims from entering our
country is not going to stop terrorists.
So what will work to keep these murderers away from our shores? How
do we keep terrorists out of our country? How do we stop ISIS from
radicalizing Americans they have never met and are thousands of miles
away?
The House has already taken several steps to do what is needed when
we passed the ALERT Act, by my colleague, Representative Loudermilk of
Georgia; the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act, by my colleague,
Representative Fleischmann of Tennessee; and the Counterterrorism
Advisory Board Act, by my colleague, John Katko of New York.
The House has led in counterterrorism efforts, spearheaded by one of
the most effective committees in the House, the Committee on Homeland
Security, led by my colleague from Texas, Chairman Michael McCaul, and
I am proud to serve on that committee.
These three bills are before the House today in Chairman McCaul's
Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act. These bills will ensure
greater coordination between Federal and local government agencies when
it comes to seeing radicalization and stopping it before an attack
happens.
Our first responders are the tip of the spear when it comes to
attacks like Orlando and San Bernardino. We need to do more to ensure
they have the intelligence necessary to detect and stop these kinds of
attacks. These bills will require DHS to use effective countermessaging
tactics to help keep Americans from falling prey to the propaganda
spread by ISIS on social media.
I have said it many times, but I am going to say it one more time. If
we get the right information to the right people at the right time, we
will keep terrorists off our shores and on the run. I speak from the
experience of running successful counterterrorism operations during my
time in the CIA.
These bills are part of the solution to keeping terrorists from
attacking the homeland. Let's take the fight to them, and I encourage
my colleagues to vote for the passage of the Countering Terrorist
Radicalization Act.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Yesterday, I cohosted, with the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Grijalva), a forum that took expert testimony on the homeland security
threat posed by armed militia and antigovernment groups. We were forced
to hold a forum because the chairmen of our respective committees,
Homeland Security and Natural Resources, have rebuffed our repeated
requests for a hearing to examine domestic terrorism. The House
Republican leadership refuses to acknowledge the threat of domestic
terrorism, ergo, its unwillingness to take action to prevent further
mass shootings.
Now, Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, while I generally do not
object to H.R. 5471, and I will support its passage, it cannot be the
sum total of what this Congress is willing to do in response to the
mass shootings in Orlando, San Bernardino, Charleston, and the concerns
of Americans across the Nation. We are tasked with identifying
vulnerabilities.
Mr. Speaker, a vulnerability in the minds of the public is that, if a
person cannot buy a ticket to fly on a plane but can go buy a gun, that
is a vulnerability. The high-capacity magazines that this individual in
Orlando and in other places have used, that is a vulnerability that
this Congress should address.
Background checks, the 3-day requirement that if it is not completed,
you get approval to buy a gun, you know, there are some things that
take longer, so the Charleston loophole is applicable to what we are
talking about, too.
So, for whatever reasons, guns have been used from time to time to
perpetrate terrorist activities. We hardened cockpits on airplanes
because people wanted to hijack airplanes. We banned box cutters from
being on airplanes because they were used to hijack airplanes.
If terrorists are using guns to do harm to American citizens, these
are terrorists who are born in the United States, they are American
citizens, so we have to do something about it.
There is no problem with the three bills that were packaged here
today, but I implore this body to look at the broader issue of domestic
terrorism, and let's get on with the business of addressing it. The
moments of silence, you know, all of us in our own respective ways, we
care about the people; but after the moment of silence, after we get
off our knees from praying, when are we going to work and resolve the
challenge?
So this do-over package is going back to the Senate again. It is
already over there. So we will go back, and we will say to the
Republican leadership in the Senate your colleagues say do something.
I say, if Democrats were in charge, Mr. Chairman, we would do
something.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
What happened in Orlando was a terrorist attack, an attack by ISIS in
the homeland. The Orlando shooter said as much in his 911 call. The
Islamic State took credit for it, saying he was a soldier of the
caliphate.
What keeps me up at night, Boston, Chattanooga, San Bernardino, and
now Orlando all perpetrated--all perpetrated--by Islamist terrorists.
We have to define the enemy to defeat it. That is a basic military
strategy.
The 9/11 Commission, bipartisan, in its wisdom, so many years ago,
said: ``The enemy is not just `terrorism,' some generic evil. This
vagueness blurs the strategy. The catastrophic threat at this moment in
history is more specific. It is a threat posed by Islamist terrorism--
especially the al Qaeda network, its affiliates, and its ideology.''
The 9/11 Commission, Mr. Speaker, not the Republican Party, the 9/11
Commission.
Winston Churchill didn't dance around the Nazis on fascism. We
defeated fascism by calling it what it was and going to war with it.
President Kennedy and President Reagan didn't dance around communism.
They defeated communism by defining the enemy.
Today, the enemy, in a generational, ideological struggle is radical
Islamist extremism, and if this President, this administration, will
not recognize that, this body needs to. This Congress understands what
the threat is, and when we define it, we will defeat it, Mr. Speaker.
I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1015
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 5471.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________