[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 56 (Monday, April 1, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2930-H2931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TERRORIST AND FOREIGN FIGHTER TRAVEL EXERCISE ACT OF 2019
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 1590) to require an exercise related to
terrorist and foreign fighter travel, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1590
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Terrorist and Foreign
Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. EXERCISE ON TERRORIST AND FOREIGN FIGHTER TRAVEL.
(a) In General.--In addition to, or as part of exercise
programs currently carried out by the Department of Homeland
Security, to enhance domestic preparedness for and collective
response to terrorism, promote the dissemination of homeland
security information, and test the security posture of the
United States, the Secretary of Homeland Security, through
appropriate offices and components of the Department and in
coordination with the heads of appropriate Federal
departments and agencies, shall develop and conduct an
exercise related to the detection and prevention of terrorist
and foreign fighter travel.
(b) Exercise Requirements.--The exercise required under
subsection (a) shall include--
(1) a scenario involving--
(A) persons traveling from the United States to join or
provide material support or resources to a terrorist
organization abroad; and
(B) terrorist infiltration into the United States,
including by United States citizens and foreign nationals;
(2) coordination with appropriate Federal departments and
agencies, foreign governments, and State, local, Tribal, and
territorial agencies, including law enforcement agencies and
representatives from the National Network of Fusion Centers;
and
(3) coordination with appropriate private sector and
community stakeholders.
(c) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the completion of
the exercise required under subsection (a), the Secretary of
Homeland Security shall, consistent with the protection of
classified information, submit to the Committee on Homeland
Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate an
after-action report presenting the initial findings of such
exercise, plans for quickly incorporating lessons learned
into future operations of the Department of Homeland
Security, and any proposed legislative changes informed by
such exercise.
(d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``material
support or resources'' has the meaning given such term in
section 2339A of title 18, United States Code.
SEC. 3. EMERGING THREATS IN THE NATIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAM.
Clause (i) of section 648(b)(2)(A) of the Post-Katrina
Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 748(b)(2))
is amended by inserting ``and emerging'' after ``credible''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
[[Page H2931]]
Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.
Guest) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson).
General Leave
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. 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 measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Mississippi?
There was no objection.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1590, the Terrorist and
Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, in the almost 18 years since the September 11 terrorist
attacks, threats to the American public have become increasingly
complex and today include threats posed by foreign fighters.
In 2015, the Committee on Homeland Security's Task Force on Combating
Terrorism and Foreign Fighter Travel issued a bipartisan report that
included a number of recommendations.
H.R. 1590 requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and
conduct a foreign fighter exercise that could be built into existing
DHS domestic preparedness exercises. Importantly, after the exercise,
DHS is required to submit an after-action report to Congress detailing
the initial findings, plans for incorporating lessons learned, and any
legislative changes informed by this exercise.
A very similar version of this legislation passed the full House last
Congress. I am pleased that, through the markup process, modest
modifications were made to improve the measure.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 1590, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 1590,
the Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2019. This
legislation seeks to better position the United States Government and
relevant State, local, and private-sector agencies to detect and
prevent terrorist and foreign fighter travel.
In 2015, the Committee on Homeland Security developed a bipartisan
task force to investigate the threat from individuals leaving the
United States to join terrorist groups abroad. The task force reported
that nearly 4,500 individuals from Western countries, with over 250
from the United States, traveled to join Islamic terrorist groups. It
goes on to detail 32 findings and over 50 recommendations to address
this national security issue.
During both the 114th Congress and the 115th Congress, former
Representative and now Senator Martha McSally introduced this
legislation. Both times, the bill passed unanimously in the House.
Senator McSally previously stated: ``The abilities of these hardened
fighters to return to the United States is a legitimate security
concern to the homeland. Catching individuals who are looking to join
the ranks and train with ISIS and other terrorist organizations prior
to their initial departure is equally important and should be a goal
for law enforcement as well.''
Mr. Speaker, these words still ring true today. Just last year, an
Ohio man was arrested at the John Glenn International Airport trying to
fly to Kazakhstan. His intent was to be smuggled into Afghanistan to
train with ISIS with the possibility of conducting terrorist projects
in the United States.
According to an FBI release on this matter, when the terrorist was
asked what sort of training he wished to receive, he allegedly stated
that he wanted to receive ``weapons experts training, planning,
executing, hit and run, capturing high-value targets, ways to break
into homes and avoid security.''
The ability of these foreign fighters to return to the United States
is a legitimate security concern. Preventing their initial departure
should be a law enforcement priority as well.
Furthermore, last year, the White House released the National
Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel. It ``outlines how the United
States Government will expand coordination and maximize the full
capabilities of Federal departments and agencies to identify, detect,
and deter terrorists from transiting international borders.''
One of the Strategy's primary goals is to identify and deter
terrorists before they travel, to enhance intelligence gathering and
analysis, and to improve the sharing of terrorist-related identity
data.
{time} 1630
H.R. 1590 complements and supports these efforts.
The bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination
with the appropriate Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial
agencies, foreign governments, and appropriate private-sector entities,
to develop and conduct an exercise related to the detection and
prevention of terrorist and foreign fighter travel.
The bill also requires the Secretary to produce an after-action
report to Congress, presenting the findings of the exercise and to
quickly incorporate those lessons learned into future operations of the
department.
Finally, it requires that the National Exercise Program be designed
to include emerging threats.
I cannot stress enough the importance of H.R. 1590. This bill
represents continued action in combating terrorism and ensuring the
safety of our Nation. As the threats of terrorism continue to evolve,
we must remain vigilant in our resolve to combat our enemies.
Our Nation's law enforcement, of all jurisdictions, whether it be
Federal or local, need to have access to the valuable information and
resources that this bill would provide so that our communities can be
protected from terrorist activity.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this
bipartisan and commonsense bill. I urge the adoption of this bill, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, before I close, let me
compliment the gentleman on the passage of this bill. This is, I
believe, his maiden bill before the House of Representatives, and, from
one Mississippian to another, I want to congratulate him for that.
Mr. Speaker, because terrorists are constantly seeking new ways to
cause harm and spread fear, we must continuously work to keep pace with
the evolving threat landscape.
H.R. 1590 seeks to strengthen the Nation's abilities to close the
gaps in how we identify and assess threats from terrorist foreign
fighters. As such, I support it and ask my colleagues to support it as
well.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1590, as amended.
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. THOMPSON of Mississippi. 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.
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