[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5089-5094]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COMBATING TERRORIST RECRUITMENT ACT OF 2016

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4820) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to use 
the testimonials of former or estranged violent extremists or their 
associates in order to counter terrorist recruitment, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4820

       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 ``Combating Terrorist 
     Recruitment Act of 2016''.

     SEC. 2. 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) Counter-messaging 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 Act 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.

  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 materials to 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.
  I rise in strong support of the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act 
of 2016. I commend Mr. Fleischmann for offering this bipartisan 
counterterrorism bill at a time when we are in the highest terror 
threat environment since 9/11.
  We have more than 1,000 homegrown terror investigations in all 50 
States, and we have arrested over 80 ISIS supporters in our country, 
many for plotting attacks.
  Terrorists are radicalizing our citizens online and across borders, 
which is why we need this legislation. It requires that the Secretary 
of Homeland Security use the testimonials of former extremists and 
defectors to help stop terrorist recruitment.
  President Obama himself--and I agree with him on this issue--argued 
last year: We need to lift up the voice of those who know the hypocrisy 
of groups like ISIS firsthand, including former extremists.
  He also noted: ``Former extremists . . . can be powerful messengers 
in debunking these terrorist ideologies.''
  Our foreign partners are already using these types of testimonials 
overseas. So is our State Department. But we need to be doing this 
counter-messaging here at home.
  Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in front of my committee 
last month: My priority has been focusing on communities that I believe 
are most vulnerable to the appeals from ISIS, al Qaeda, and other 
terrorist groups overseas who are actively targeting individuals in 
these communities . . . This is as important as any of our other 
homeland security missions.
  I commend Secretary Johnson for his words and his work, but we are 
not acting quickly enough. That is why this bill was one of the top 
recommendations of the bipartisan task force we created last year to 
look at this threat.
  In their final report, the Democratic and Republican Members who led 
the task force said America needed to launch a concerted effort to use 
the testimonials of former extremists to combat terrorist propaganda.
  This is from a Virginia defector. Just last month an ISIS defector 
from Virginia was picked up in Iraq. He said he wanted to send a 
message to the American people that life with ISIS was miserable and 
that the group did not represent Islam. These are the types of voices 
we need to amplify so as to keep others from making the same mistakes.
  Some have argued that this bill limits the DHS in allowing it only to 
counter-message groups like ISIS and al Qaeda, but that is simply 
false. In fact, at our markup, legislative counsel told the members: 
``The current language in the bill is extremely broad-based. It does 
not place a limitation on anything.''
  Although our bipartisan task force focused on foreign terrorist 
threats, the bill gives the Secretary the flexibility to address the 
full array of dangerous groups that threaten our people both here at 
home and abroad. I am proud to say that the majority of Republicans and 
Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee support this 
legislation.
  Terrorists are recruiting our citizens at the speed of broadband. So 
we can't move at the speed of bureaucracy. Today Congress has an 
opportunity to fight back. I urge all Members to join me in supporting 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, 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 opposition to H.R. 4820, the Combating Terrorist 
Recruitment Act of 2016.
  It is troubling that some of my colleagues have circulated 
misinformation about this bill. Let me set the record straight.
  The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly told my committee 
that H.R. 4820 is unnecessary insofar as the Department can already 
integrate public testimonials of former terrorists and violent 
extremists into its efforts to counter violent extremism and terrorism.
  In fact, yesterday I spoke with Secretary Johnson, and he reiterated 
that DHS has the authority it needs to carry out its countering violent 
extremism efforts and that this bill is unnecessary.
  I oppose H.R. 4820 today for the same reason I opposed it when it was 
considered earlier this month in committee. H.R. 4820 is nothing more 
than a message bill, a bill that sends the message to DHS to focus its 
counter-messaging efforts on foreign terrorist groups.
  Domestic terror groups, like foreign terrorist organizations, recruit 
and spread propaganda through social media and online platforms. This 
bill ignores the fact that domestic terror groups, like foreign 
terrorist organizations, kill Americans.
  Since September 11, terrorists who have espoused their ideology of 
foreign terrorist organizations have been responsible for killing 45 
innocent Americans on U.S. soil. During that same period, members of 
domestic terrorist organizations have murdered more than 48 Americans.
  If you ask law enforcement leaders across this country what keeps 
them

[[Page 5090]]

up at night, they will likely say the prospect that there is a 
sovereign citizen group or militia plotting in their jurisdictions.
  Just last month the Atlanta police chief testified before my 
committee that he is deeply concerned about homegrown extremists and 
militia activity. His testimony echoes the results of a recent survey 
in which 74 percent of law enforcement identified anti-government 
extremism as one of the three terrorist threats in their jurisdictions.
  In the last 2 months, we have seen the development of domestic 
terrorists: an attack on police officers in Georgia by a self-appointed 
wizard of the Ku Klux Klan; the conviction by a Federal grand jury in 
Mississippi of two members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Mississippi for 
their participation in various criminal acts, including those of drug 
production, trafficking, kidnapping, and murder; the indictment of two 
members of a sovereign citizen group in Columbus, Ohio, for building a 
bomb that was modeled after the suicide vests that were used in the 
November Paris attack; a four-count indictment against a member of a 
Michigan sovereign citizen group for selling women and children into 
sexual slavery. Such abusive activities are chillingly similar to those 
of ISIL.
  In recognition of these facts, I, together with like-minded committee 
Democrats, made multiple proposals during and after the markup to fix 
the bill. We offered an amendment to define ``violent extremist'' to 
encompass not only those engaged in ideologically motivated 
international terrorism, but also in domestic terrorism.
  It was rejected. We offered an amendment to insert ``domestic 
terrorist organization.'' It was also rejected. Even after the markup, 
we made three more proposals to fix the bill. Each was rejected.
  By refusing to include any mention of domestic terrorist 
organizations, H.R. 4820 represents a significant departure from the 
holistic, comprehensive approach that has been espoused by the Obama 
administration to counter ideologically based violence.
  Since 2011, with the publication of the ``Empowering Local Partners 
to Prevent Extremism in the United States'' strategy by the White 
House, Federal efforts to prevent such terrorism have been guided by 
the recognition that violent extremists are inspired by a range of 
religious, political, or other ideological beliefs.
  The passage of H.R. 4820 would send the wrong message. As such, I 
urge a ``no'' vote.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Chattanooga, Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), the sponsor 
and author of the bill.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, 
H.R. 4820, the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act.
  I wish to thank Chairman McCaul and the members of the Homeland 
Security Committee for all of their hard work on this bill.
  I will never forget the moment back in July--I was standing on this 
floor--when I was told about the shootings at two military 
installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the town in which I live and 
proudly represent. As many of you 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.''
  Given the recent attacks in Chattanooga and San Bernardino, as well 
as in Paris and Brussels, we need to use every tool in the toolbox to 
combat this new brand of extremism.
  This bill implements one of the key recommendations made by the 
Homeland Security Committee's bipartisan task force, one that is 
specifically designed to counter terrorism and foreign fighter travel.
  This bill does not forbid DHS from countering all forms of extremism, 
but the bill does provide examples of how DHS can fulfill the 
requirement, such as counter-messaging foreign terrorist organizations, 
which are actively recruiting in our country at an alarming rate.
  This bipartisan legislation requires the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to amplify the testimonials of former extremists and defectors 
to fight the propaganda and the recruitment of terrorist groups like 
ISIS.
  Foreign terrorists are using technology to radicalize Americans at a 
troubling pace, which continues to increase. More than 250 Americans 
have traveled or have attempted to travel to fight with jihadists in 
Syria and Iraq, and the FBI says there are open counterterrorism 
investigations in all 50 States, mostly ISIS related. Many of these 
individuals were pulled in by terrorist propaganda.

                              {time}  1630

  ISIS is luring Americans with empty and false promises that do not 
reflect the 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 he found it very 
hard to live there and no longer believes the group represents their 
religion.
  We need to do all we can to amplify the messages from these 
disillusioned terrorists who have firsthand experience with the evil 
and hypocrisy of these extremist groups.
  The State Department and many of our key allies already utilize the 
testimony of those disaffected by the true reality of these terror 
groups, and the concept was also endorsed by the Department of Homeland 
Security's Homeland Security Advisory Council last spring.
  Unfortunately, there may be partisan opposition to this bipartisan 
bill. The majority of the Homeland Security committee members, on both 
sides of the aisle, supported the bill in committee.
  I will say it again: this bill received a majority of votes from both 
sides of the aisle in committee. Let's not put partisanship ever ahead 
of our Nation's security.
  This is a commonsense measure to hinder those recruiting efforts of 
groups like ISIS with the testimony of those who have seen the evil of 
these groups firsthand.
  I urge the support of my colleagues.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
distinguished gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).
  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4820, 
the so-called Combating Terrorist Recruitment Bill.
  H.R. 4820 omits any mention of domestic terrorist organizations, a 
significant departure from the holistic, comprehensive approach that is 
adopted by the administration to counter ideologically based violence. 
This bill isolates the enemy to be those who are Islamist, those who 
are foreign, and those who are being radicalized by foreigners.
  How does this bill address the threat of terror from those who are 
not just jaded jihadists, like this bill was initially titled, but, 
rather, a part of domestic militia or part of a rightwing, ultra-
conservative, racist organization that wants to kill African Americans 
or other vulnerable populations?
  A recent study by the Police Executive Research Forum and the 
Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security found that State and 
local law enforcement personnel are almost twice as concerned about 
rightwing and antigovernment terrorism as they are about the threat 
from al Qaeda, ISIS, and similar groups.
  The concerns of State and local law enforcement about domestic 
terrorism are well placed. Within the last year, we have seen a 
rightwing terrorist kill nine people at Mother Emanuel in Charleston 
and an anti-abortion terrorist kill three people at the Planned 
Parenthood facility in Colorado.
  Since the attacks of 9/11, within the United States, domestic 
terrorists have killed 48 people, more than those killed by foreign 
terrorist-inspired attacks.

[[Page 5091]]

  Shouldn't we be concerned about those who have demonstrated the 
greatest threat to our homeland in the last 15 years?
  H.R. 4820 represents a marked departure from a national strategy to 
combat terrorism and that recognizes that individuals who promote and 
use violence against the U.S. are inspired by a range of religious, 
political, or other ideological beliefs.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Curbelo of Florida). The time of the 
gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 
seconds to the gentlewoman.
  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. This bill only serves to perpetuate the stigma 
associated with just one group of people who happen to practice Islam. 
It does not recognize a full range of terrorist threats to our 
homeland.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 4820.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Katko), the original cosponsor of the bill and the 
chairman of the bipartisan task force.
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for 
offering this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, America continues to witness the largest convergence of 
radical Islamic threats in the history of our country.
  More than any threat before, ISIS demonstrated an ability to 
radicalize individuals throughout the world by utilizing the Internet.
  However, these individuals are met with the cold, hard reality that 
ISIS does not offer luxury, happiness, or peacefulness. On the 
contrary, these individuals are thrust onto the battlefield with little 
or no training and little or no regard for their lives.
  Some, when faced with the truth, try to turn back. Among those who 
recognize ISIS for the barbaric, destructive force that it is, some 
have actually dared to speak out against them, using their experience 
to dissuade others from risking their lives in order to wage war on 
innocent people.
  One of these individuals was mentioned by my colleague, Chairman Mike 
McCaul, and that individual grew up across the river from here in 
Alexandria, Virginia.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the efforts of our law enforcement and 
intelligence officials by supporting this bill. The Combating Terrorist 
Recruitment Act of 2016, of which I am a cosponsor, requires a 
dissemination of testimonials from ISIS defectors to help stop the 
radicalization of at-risk individuals.
  This bill comes from the bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist 
and Foreign Fighter Travel, of which I served as a Republican lead. 
Using these testimonials would fill a gap that our bipartisan task 
force identified in a bipartisan manner.
  I thank Chairman McCaul, who has led this effort.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I certainly don't question the motivations 
of the gentleman who has sponsored this bill. He is a good man, a good 
American, and loves his country, but I believe it is misdirected. I 
really do.
  In my hand, if you remember, there is a report from 2009, the 
beginning of the Obama administration. All that work was done in the 
previous administration on this report. The report is quite revealing.
  Anybody who is on Homeland Security should read it because it tells 
us that we need not only to carry out the oath of office, half of it, 
but we should defend the country against foreign intruders. Also, it 
says in our oath ``domestic'' as well.
  This report lays out very clearly what is going on in the United 
States of America in our backyards. It was squashed.
  I remember the day when a Democratic Secretary of the Homeland 
Security heard from me about it, that she should not have bent over 
because those on the other side wanted this report squashed.
  There have been articles written since that time, 2009, of how it was 
squashed. They didn't want the American people to read this. That is 
quite, quite a report.
  So I rise in opposition, Mr. Speaker, to H.R. 4820. No one loves this 
country more than the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson). I am 
not on that committee anymore, but no one respects it more than Bennie 
Thompson.
  Why is he opposed to this? Is he opposed to this because he doesn't 
love his country as much as the folks on the other side of the aisle? I 
don't think so. Does he oppose it because he didn't sponsor it? I don't 
think so.
  He opposes it because this excludes very specific things which we 
should not exclude.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from 
New Jersey an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. PASCRELL. The House should not be picking and choosing what 
sources of terrorism the Department should focus on without taking into 
account all the facts. The House continues to ignore the threats posed 
by violent extremism, which are not limited to a single ideology.
  Eric Hoffer, in the book ``The True Believer,'' written many years 
ago, said that extremism is inspired by a range of reasons, including 
religious, political, or ideological beliefs. He says that these 
movements, regardless of the motive or end goal, simply need isolated 
individuals who are dispossessed in some way or other and need to feel 
part of something bigger than themselves.
  Why don't we really get at the sources of the people who want to kill 
our kids and want to damage our properties, whether they come from afar 
or whether they are grown right here? Homegrown. Homegrown. And we are 
ignoring it. The FBI reports that time and time again.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hurd).
  Mr. HURD of Texas. ``It's not a revolution or jihad. It's a 
slaughter. I was shocked by what I did.''
  ``I found it very, very hard to live there. ISIS fighters don't 
represent the religion. I don't see them as good Muslims.''
  Mr. Speaker, those are the words of Americans who traveled overseas 
to fight alongside ISIS. They left home believing they were headed 
toward a great adventure. They were promised glory and honor, but what 
they found was death and a perversion of the religion they believe in.
  These fighters were originally recruited to fight for ISIS through 
social media. Every day ISIS spreads their lies and propaganda, drawing 
in naive young Americans.
  They do this in dozens of different languages, reaching people across 
the world. Even while ISIS loses ground on the battlefield, they are 
working hard to make it up in the digital sphere.
  The Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act will allow us to take these 
powerful words of truth and use them to combat the lies that ISIS is 
spreading on social media.
  Some may say this is unnecessary. Some may say: Why aren't we already 
doing this? We aren't. That is why we need this piece of legislation.
  This bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to use the 
testimonials of former extremists and defectors as part of an ongoing 
effort to stop terrorist recruitment. These are individuals who have 
seen the brutality of terrorist groups firsthand and have rejected it.
  This bill is not limited to specific groups. Let me repeat that one 
more time: This bill is not limited to specific groups.
  It gives our counterterrorism professionals the flexibility needed to 
fight back against extremists as the threat environment and terrorist 
tactics change.
  It also requires DHS to coordinate these efforts with other agencies, 
nongovernmental organizations, and foreign partners so that we do this 
the

[[Page 5092]]

right way, finding the best outlets for undermining terrorist 
propaganda.
  The bipartisan Foreign Fighter Task Force I served on recommends that 
we use these credible voices to fight against ISIS' online efforts.
  The nonpartisan Homeland Security Advisory Council has urged DHS to 
use the testimonials of former extremists in our counternarrative 
efforts. Our foreign partners are already using these tactics and 
finding them effective.
  Our young people are being targeted. We have the tools to help 
protect them. These tools can stop others in our hometowns from making 
a terrible mistake. We need to get in the online fight, but time is not 
on our side.
  I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of the Combating Terrorist 
Recruitment Act. Having spent 9\1/2\ years as an undercover officer 
chasing terrorists across the world, there is no such thing as a silver 
bullet. We have to do this piecemeal, and this bill is one step going 
in that direction.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the ranking member on the House 
Transportation Committee.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as one who served from the 
creation of the Homeland Security Committee until just a couple of 
years ago.
  I am concerned about what I am hearing here today on the floor, and I 
am surprised. Perhaps we should insert the word ``some,'' combating 
some terrorist recruitment in 2016.
  Now, the chairman said that DHS certainly has the flexibility to 
address domestic terrorism. Well, that is true. But why leave out 
explicit mention of domestic terrorism?

                              {time}  1645

  Are you afraid of offending some rightwing nuts out there? What is 
the deal?
  Seriously, I just went through this in Oregon. I have been on the 
Department of Justice and the FBI for about 2 years: Go get Cliven 
Bundy, get his cattle off the land, put the guy in jail.
  They didn't do it. And what happened?
  He taught his kids the way it was done. You show the government a 
gun, and they will run away, and you keep doing what you want, and you 
can deny that the Federal Government has the right to own any public 
lands in this country and try and take them over for private 
individuals.
  Now, this is a serious threat. The Murrah building, there were no 
foreign terrorists involved, 168 dead, hundreds injured, and we can't 
explicitly put into this bill all terrorism, including domestic 
terrorism.
  I really fear that some are worried that some of these rightwing 
extremist groups out there might be offended if we were to say that 
they are a threat to our Nation. Well, they are very much a threat, and 
this bill omitting that should have this bill denied passage on this 
floor and bring it back in a comprehensive way next week.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan).
  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4820, the 
Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act authored by Mr. Fleischmann.
  This bill is one step in implementing the recommendations of the 
Committee on Homeland Security's Foreign Fighter Task Force. This 
bipartisan team was charged with studying how our government can combat 
Western citizens who become radicalized and take up arms with 
terrorists. The President, senior national security officials, industry 
leaders, and experts have all expressed support for this concept.
  While all self-radicalized terrorists deserve the consequences of 
their behavior, some realize just how profound they were mistaken after 
seeing the reality of life under ISIS. They sometimes recant and tell 
the truth about the atrocities that they have witnessed or committed. 
That is valuable information.
  What this bill does is common sense. It directs the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to use testimony from these individuals as part of 
our efforts to combat violent extremists. President Obama himself 
stated that we need to ``lift up the voices'' of former extremists in 
order to expose the hypocrisy of ISIS, but this bill does not limit the 
Department's ability to countermeasure terrorist groups that threaten 
us no matter where they are located.
  As we speak, ISIS is using social media and the Internet to 
radicalize young Americans who are vulnerable to a message of inclusion 
in a grand cause, no matter how sinister. Before they make a mistake 
that could cause them and others their lives, let's take every 
opportunity to counter ISIS' poisonous narrative. To hear from others 
like them who wanted to believe in ISIS and found the truth too late is 
a tactic we should utilize.
  I urge my colleagues to pass this bill, which received bipartisan 
support in committee.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers 
and I am prepared to close.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from 
Tennessee for offering this bill, as well as Chairman McCaul for 
bringing it to the floor.
  When the terrorists attacked in San Bernardino, many Americans said: 
What are we doing?
  When you find out that these folks are trafficking on the Internet 
and messaging, they say: Where is our FBI? Where are the services 
protecting us, and why aren't they doing everything they can?
  This is one thing they can do is offer testimonials from people who 
have been there who can give other people who might be interested in 
joining the truth. Yet there are some folks here who don't want to do 
that. They are interested in misrepresenting this bill.
  I want to remind everybody that this bill is the result of a 
bipartisan task force, a bipartisan task force, Member-led, that said 
we need to do exactly this, and unanimously move this forward to the 
full committee.
  They say it is unnecessary. Well, if it is unnecessary, why isn't 
Homeland Security doing this already? Why not? How long are they going 
to wait?
  They say that they offered amendments. Really? They offered 
amendments?
  They couldn't be bothered to answer the chairman's call when he said: 
Hey, can you collaborate with us on this so we have a good bill that 
everybody is involved in.
  They waited until the day of the markup, and then came in with a 
bunch of amendments and concerns. It was apparent that all they wanted 
to do was slow the process down and, as a matter of fact, move the 
process to some other date.
  How long are we going to wait? Do you want to ask the relatives of 
those who are killed by these people how long they want to wait? How 
about the next ones?
  Now, some on the other side have picked this up as this is a 
politically motivated agenda. I say some because not all. As a matter 
of fact, many on the other side voted to move this bill right to the 
floor where it is now.
  I don't understand why they would want to have America be less safe. 
I don't understand, Mr. Speaker. We spent 4 hours--4 hours--going over 
a two-page bill. Two pages. We entertained what they wanted to change, 
and we did make some changes, but it was apparent that all they wanted 
to really do was stall and stall and move this process forward down the 
line and never get to it.
  Mr. Speaker, we don't have any choice. We have to move forward now. 
Those in opposition are simply willfully refusing to see what all 
America sees. We need to address this threat immediately. It is a two-
page bill, and it doesn't deny Homeland Security from doing anything 
that it has already been doing.
  As a matter of fact, these folks on the other side demanded at that 
markup--they demanded--that we say that Homeland Security must do this. 
And the chairman said: Okay, if you want to demand that they do it, we 
will demand that they do it.

[[Page 5093]]

  Mr. Speaker, I think we ought to make America safe and pass this 
bill.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, in recent years, from 
Boston to Charleston, we have seen individuals operating within our 
communities and living among us plot to cause mass harm in the name of 
a violent extremist and hateful ideology. Today much has been made of 
the fact that the FBI has open investigations of ISIL-inspired activity 
in all 50 States. Far less attention has been given to the number of 
open investigations of anti-government and militia groups, a number 
that grew by one-third in 2015 alone.
  We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the threats posed by any 
terrorist group or organization, as the bill before us today would do. 
Therefore, it is imperative that DHS use testimonials from violent 
extremists involved in all forms of violent extremism. Public 
testimonials can be a powerful tool to reach individuals who otherwise 
might be susceptible to terrorist propaganda.
  Given the diversity in the threat landscape that we face, it just 
makes sense that any such effort should be comprehensive. 
Unfortunately, the bill's sponsors have decided that this bill should 
turn away from the comprehensive approach.
  Mr. Speaker, again, let me indicate that the only real issue before 
us is the domestic aspect of terrorism. Domestic terrorist 
organizations have demonstrated time and time again, they have killed 
more Americans here on our soil than foreign terrorists have. The 
reason we are in opposition is we don't recognize that in this 
legislation. Our effort in markup, as well as here on the floor, is to 
make sure that all of the bad people get recognized, those 
international and foreign, but also those who are domestic.
  Some of us have lived in parts of the country where domestic 
terrorism was a way of life for a lot of us, and because of that, we 
are very passionate on that subject. The Charleston situation was very 
unfortunate. That was an act of domestic terrorism. There is no 
question about it.
  So why wouldn't we want to add those kind of extremist activities in 
this legislation so we can cover everyone?
  That is really the opposition that we have had. For that reason, I 
urge my colleagues to join me in opposing H.R. 4820.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, Paris, Brussels, Chattanooga, San Bernardino. How many 
more?
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to act, and act today on this important 
legislation that is bipartisan. It is important to point out--I know 
the ranking member has good intentions, but our bill allows DHS to 
combat terrorist recruitment by all dangerous organizations, as was 
brought out at the markup.
  The President's Homeland Security adviser, Lisa Monaco, said: ``Our 
efforts will be the most effective when they focus on amplifying 
authentic voices,'' such as former violent extremists. These voices can 
convince others from going down the path to violence.
  The President's national security adviser, Susan Rice, added that 
they are already amplifying the voices of ISIL defectors overseas. And 
she explains that ``these voices are eroding ISIL's appeal.''
  This countermessaging works, and it has worked for the State 
Department, but we are not doing it at home. We need to do it here at 
home and not just overseas. That is why I urge strong support for this.
  I don't understand after it being the product of a bipartisan task 
force with bipartisan support out of the committee, the very week that 
the Brussels attack occurred, we marked up this bill. Mr. Speaker, it 
is time to act. I urge passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in opposition to H.R. 
4820, the ``Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of 2016,'' because 
regrettably the bill was not improved as I had hoped and expected 
between the Committee markup and, floor consideration.
  Specifically, Section 2 of H.R. 4820, directs the Secretary of 
Homeland Security, inter alia, to employ ``Counter-messaging of foreign 
terrorist organization communications and narratives.''
  However, the bill is silent on the issue of domestic terrorists and 
the threat they pose to the safety and security of Americans.
  This was a point raised by the minority members during the markup, 
but an agreement could not be reached to include the words ``and 
domestic terrorist'' in the bill.
  As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and 
Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, 
Homeland Security, and Investigations, I appreciate the concerns the 
bill is intended to address but in my view the bill's scope is too 
limited in view of the number and frequency of violent domestic 
extremist attacks such as the one occurring in the evening of June 17, 
2015 at the historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church 
in Charleston, South Carolina.
  Combating violent extremism is too important to become the subject of 
partisan political disputes.
  Instead, we should work together to find common ground that 
reconciles the competing interests of collective security and 
individual liberties.
  We must not focus on one religion as being a threat--this would be 
wrong and counterproductive.
  Mr. Speaker, there have been other attacks by foreign and domestic 
violent extremists.
  The Fort Hood Texas attack committed by Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who 
opened fire and killed 13 U.S. military personnel.
  The Boston Marathon attackers were two Chechen brothers Dzhokhar 
Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev who carried out a bombing that took 3 
lives and injured 264 others.
  Later, the brothers killed university police officer Sean A. Collier.
  On December 2, 2015, 14 people were killed and 22 were seriously 
injured in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, which 
consisted of a mass shooting and an attempted bombing.
  The perpetrators, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married 
couple living in the city of Redlands, who the San Bernardino County 
Department of Public Health training event and holiday party, of about 
80 employees.
  This threat of attack by foreign terrorists on American soil is real 
and substantial and requires vigilance by the Administration and this 
Congress.
  However, threats of domestic terrorist attacks are also real.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot be unmindful of the fact that since September 
2001, there have been 250 deaths at the hands of home grown violent 
extremists as opposed by 50 by foreign terrorists.
  The seminal act of homegrown domestic terror occurred in 1995, when 
the domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh detonated the truck bomb that 
destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 persons 
and injured over 680 people.
  At the time, it is the largest loss of American lives at the hands of 
a domestic terror group since the Civil War.
  Today, the challenge is countering the messages of violent extremism 
no matter the source and not to fall for thinking that one type of 
violent extremism is less of a threat than another type of violent 
extremism.
  Radical and extremist groups, both domestic and international, 
systematically prey upon the vulnerabilities of young persons by 
offering inducements such as financial assistance, familial-like bonds, 
or the promise of an exciting and heroic life.
  In some cases, youth have been forcibly recruited or tricked into 
participating in terrorist activities, including suicide bombings.
  The heinous attack in Mother Emmanuel Church was a defining moment in 
our nation's history for many reasons, but the final chapter will be 
written by those who are charged with keeping our nation and its people 
safe while preserving the way of life that terrorist seek to change.
  One of the enduring challenges for members of the Homeland Security 
Committee is how we guide the work of the Department of Homeland 
Security.
  I hosted DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson in Houston for two days of 
discussions, and tours that were insightful and probing on a range of 
regional and national homeland security issues.
  The issue of violent extremism is one of several efforts that the 
Department of Homeland Security has prioritized and begun efforts to 
address both the international threat and the domestic threats.
  DHS defines ``Domestic Terrorism'' as: ``Any act of violence that is 
dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical 
infrastructure or key resources committed by a group or

[[Page 5094]]

individual based and operating entirely within the United States or its 
territories without direction or inspiration from a foreign terrorist 
group.''
  Groups and individuals inspired to commit terrorist acts are 
motivated by a range of personal, religious, political, or other 
ideological beliefs--there is no magic formula.
  Further, the complexity of adding social media as a new source of 
recruitment for violent extremists is complicating the efforts of law 
enforcement, domestic security and national defense.
  The line between lawfully protected speech and activity that may be a 
threat should be clearly defined by law.
  Taking care to protect civil liberties and constitutional rights 
means that our system of laws must acknowledge that reading, writing, 
or speaking of one's views or beliefs even when they are unpopular is 
not a crime.
  Hate speech is not a crime--while an act of violence motivated by 
hate is.
  Violent extremist threats within the United States can come from a 
range of violent extremist groups and individuals, including Domestic 
Terrorists and Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs).
  The troubling violent nature of the attack at Mother Emanuel AME 
Church, its location in the South, on a night devoted to prayer 
services, by a young man still in his twenties awaken fears that many 
of us who represent majority minority congressional districts had hoped 
were receding with the passage of time.
  In the wake of the killings at Mother Emanuel in Charleston, several 
African American Churches have fallen victim to fires.
  Historically, African American churches are the center of religious, 
social, cultural and political life for the communities they serve.
  Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, members serving in 
this body were mindful of the history that we worked not to repeat.
  Today, we are still working to assure the public that appropriate 
checks must be made certain in how increased in government authority is 
controlled.
  The demographics of young persons' becoming involved in terrorist 
groups also appear to be changing.
  In many cases the persons implicated are younger than reported in the 
past and there appear to be more female youth joining the ranks of 
terrorist organizations.
  Additionally, more young supporters are coming from Western countries 
that are further removed from actual conflict areas.
  The Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas have recruited children as 
young as thirteen to be suicide bombers and children as young as eleven 
to smuggle explosives and weapons.
  During 2003, thirteen-year-old twin sisters who had been recruited by 
al-Qaeda linked groups were caught attempting to commit a suicide 
bombing against Western businesses and local government buildings in 
Morocco.
  Counter-recruitment and counter-radicalization initiatives should be 
tailored locally, and should engage members from across the community 
who are in a position to address specific underlying factors or 
identify potential radicalization indicators.
  Counter-recruitment and radicalization initiatives must evolve with 
the young audiences they are intended to reach, adapt along with the 
adversaries, incorporate new developments in technologies, and address 
changes within environments where young persons are susceptible.
  I encourage my colleagues to withdraw this bill and allow for it to 
be considered under an open rule or for the bill to be sent back to the 
committee for further consideration.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, the agreed upon mission of the Countering 
Violent Extremism Taskforce ``to review terror travel programs, and 
issue a report that may include recommendations based on this review.''
  I agreed to serve on the task force because I agree that we must do 
everything we can to prevent acts of terrorism on our homeland, and 
terror travel programs is one of many terrorism-related threats we must 
address.
  The bipartisan Taskforce Report I signed included general 
recommendations related to terror travel programs--it did not include 
specific legislative proposals nor did it suggest that we should 
prioritize the threat of foreign terrorist organizations over the 
threat posed by domestic terror organizations.
  As a Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and the 
Representative of a diverse Congressional district in New Jersey, I 
recognize that we must do everything in our power to prevent our 
communities from being terrorized, regardless of the motivation.
  We need to prevent the radicalization of people inspired by anti-
government ideology who might ultimately try to occupy Federal 
facilities.
  We need to prevent the radicalization of people inspired by racism 
who might ultimately sit through an evening prayer service at a 
predominantly black church and then shoot the other attendees.
  And we need to prevent the radicalization of people inspired by a 
perverse interpretation of religion from carrying out attacks on 
American soil.
  No one version of radicalization is more dangerous than another.
  And we cannot treat them differently.
  That is why I cannot support H.R. 4820.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Perry). 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. 4820, 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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