[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RADICALIZED AMERICANS FIGHTING WITH ISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, according to a new poll released by CNN last 
evening, ``Americans are increasingly concerned that ISIS represents a 
direct terror threat'' and that they are ``fearful that ISIS agents are 
living in the United States.''
  A Washington Post poll released this morning shows that 90 percent of 
the American people believe that ISIS poses a ``serious'' threat to the 
U.S.
  This threat is growing, largely due to the fact that an increasing 
number radicalized westerners, including more than 140 Americans, are 
freely traveling to Syria to link up with ISIS and al Qaeda-affiliated 
groups.
  Consider that over the last month, while this Congress was out on 
recess, the number of Americans killed fighting with terrorist 
organizations in Syria quickly grew, signaling a trend that should be 
troubling to all Americans.
  Earlier this summer, Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, a 22-year-old from 
Florida, became the first American suicide bomber fighting in Syria for 
the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra.
  Equally concerning as his deadly act was the fact that he traveled 
from Syria to Florida and back again in the months before his deadly 
terrorist act. In August, two more Americans were reportedly killed 
fighting with ISIS--Douglas McArthur McCain and Abdirahmaan Muhumed, 
both originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  We must take proactive steps to discourage Americans from traveling 
to Syria to link up with these groups. Unfortunately, current law does 
not prevent Americans from traveling freely to Syria and back, which 
creates loopholes would-be jihadists can exploit.
  Currently, unless the U.S. has solid evidence that they have joined 
one of these terrorist groups, the FBI cannot arrest suspects upon 
their return. Unfortunately, it can be very hard to prove that suspects 
fought with a terrorist group in Syria, due to limited U.S. 
intelligence about their activities in the region.
  I am concerned that the absence of laws preventing unrestricted 
travel to Syria means the U.S. is not taking any substantial steps to 
discourage Americans from going over to fight. This is an untenable 
situation that puts our country at greater risk of attack from a 
radicalized American who trains and fights with these groups and later 
returns home. That is why I have introduced legislation in March, aimed 
at curbing this threat.
  Over the last 6 months, since its introduction, the dramatic gains by 
ISIS and a growing number of foreign fighters has only reaffirmed the 
need for legislation to address this issue.
  My bill, H.R. 4223, the International Conflicts of Concern Act, will 
give the President authority to temporarily restrict travel and 
material support to countries like Syria, and the President could add 
additional countries of concern when conflicts spill over into other 
countries, as we have seen in Iraq.
  The bill would also contain important protections, allowing 
legitimate travel by licensed humanitarian aid workers, journalists, 
and other groups cleared by the U.S. Government. I want to add that 
this bill was developed with the input of the FBI and has been 
supported by Director Comey of the FBI.
  I believe it is a commonsense solution to an increasingly urgent 
threat, and the House should bring up this bill and pass it before it 
recesses. Should we fail to do so, I believe that one day we will 
regret not doing all that we can to protect our homeland from the 
radicalized fighting with ISIS in Syria.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to close by encouraging the President to 
call on the expertise of two men who know more about fighting 
terrorists and insurgent threats in Iraq than anyone, General David 
Petraeus and General Stanley McChrystal.
  Although both have retired and neither work for this administration 
anymore, our country would benefit greatly from their expertise as the 
military and intelligence community address the growing threat in Iraq. 
I hope the President and his team will ask for their assistance.

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