[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 13143-13148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COMMUNITY COUNTERTERRORISM PREPAREDNESS ACT

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5859) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
establish the major metropolitan area counterterrorism training and 
exercise grant program, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5859

       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 ``Community Counterterrorism 
     Preparedness Act''.

     SEC. 2. MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREA COUNTERTERRORISM TRAINING AND 
                   EXERCISE GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Subtitle A of title XX of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 603 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new section:

     ``SEC. 2009. MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREA COUNTERTERRORISM 
                   TRAINING AND EXERCISE GRANT PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Establishment.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
     Administrator and the heads of other relevant components of 
     the Department, shall carry out a program for emergency 
     response providers to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 
     the most likely terrorist attack scenarios, including active 
     shooters, as determined by the Secretary, against major 
     metropolitan areas.
       ``(2) Information.--In establishing the program under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide to eligible 
     applicants--
       ``(A) information, in an unclassified format, on the most 
     likely terrorist attack scenarios, including active shooters, 
     which such grants are intended to address; and
       ``(B) information on training and exercises best practices.
       ``(b) Eligible Applicants.--
       ``(1) In general.--Emergency response providers in 
     jurisdictions that are currently receiving, or that 
     previously received, funding under section 2003 may apply for 
     a grant under the program established in subsection (a).
       ``(2) Additional jurisdictions.--Eligible applicants 
     receiving funding under the program established in subsection 
     (a) may include in activities funded by such program 
     neighboring jurisdictions that would be likely to provide 
     mutual aid in response to the most likely terrorist attack 
     scenarios, including active shooters.
       ``(c) Application.--
       ``(1) In general.--Eligible applicants described in 
     subsection (b) may apply for a grant under this section, and 
     shall submit such information in support of an application as 
     the Administrator may require.
       ``(2) Minimum contents of application.--The Administrator 
     shall require that each applicant include in its application 
     at a minimum, the following:
       ``(A) The purpose for which the applicant seeks grant 
     funds, including a description of how the applicant plans to 
     use such funds.
       ``(B) A description of how the activity for which the 
     funding is sought will prepare the applicant to prevent, 
     prepare for, and respond to complex, coordinated attacks.
       ``(C) A description of how the applicant will work with 
     community partners located within the applicant's 
     jurisdiction, such as schools, places of worship, and 
     businesses, as appropriate, when conducting activities 
     permitted under subsection (d).
       ``(D) Such other information as determined necessary by the 
     Administrator.
       ``(d) Permitted Uses.--The recipient of a grant under this 
     section may use such grant to conduct training and exercises 
     consistent with preventing, preparing for, and responding to 
     the most likely terrorist attack scenarios, including active 
     shooters.
       ``(e) Period of Performance.--The Administrator shall make 
     funds provided under this section available for use by a 
     recipient of a grant for a period of not fewer than 24 
     months.
       ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated for grants under this section 
     $39,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2022.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 
     1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by 
     inserting after the item relating to section 2008 the 
     following new item:

``Sec. 2009. Major metropolitan area counterterrorism training and 
              exercise grant program.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. McCaul) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, if no one is claiming time in opposition, I 
would like to claim that time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would inquire if the gentleman 
from New Jersey is opposed to the bill.
  Mr. PAYNE. No, I am not.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. On that basis, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Gohmert) will control 20 minutes in opposition.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul).


                             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.
  As we stand here this evening, there are ongoing investigations into 
the terrorist attacks over the weekend in New York, in New Jersey, and 
in Minnesota. Details of these attacks and of those responsible 
continue to emerge. One thing is certain: we are thankful that there 
was no loss of life and we are thankful for our brave first responders 
who worked around the clock to keep our communities safe.
  These brave men and women are doing their jobs in increasingly 
difficult times. The threat environment is as high as we have ever seen 
it since
9/11. Large-scale terror attacks have been replaced as the main threat 
by smaller attacks that seek to terrorize entire communities at an 
alarming pace. Whether it is a simultaneous, coordinated attack at 
multiple locations, as we saw in Paris last year, or attacks like the 
ones in New York, New Jersey, and Minnesota this past weekend, or an 
active shooter who targets law enforcement, as we experienced in my 
home

[[Page 13144]]

State of Texas against the Dallas Police Department, we must ensure 
that our communities and our first responders--our heroes--have the 
tools and training they need to best address today's threats.
  That is why I introduced H.R. 5859, the Community Counterterrorism 
Preparedness Act. This bill authorizes $39 million for first responders 
in major metropolitan areas to conduct training and exercises to 
prevent, to prepare for, and to respond to the most likely terrorist 
attack scenarios, like the IED attacks that we recently saw in New York 
and in New Jersey or active shooter attacks. The fiscal year 2016 
Consolidated Appropriations Act included $39 million for grants to 
address complex, coordinated terrorist attacks, like the attacks in 
Paris.
  My bill authorizes the program, and it provides clear direction to 
the Department of Homeland Security, ensuring that emergency response 
providers receive the funding they need to address these emerging 
threats. First responders in any of the more than 60 jurisdictions that 
currently receive or have previously received funding under the Urban 
Areas Security Initiative are eligible for funding under this new 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, my 
main job is to support the establishment of policies and programs that 
will help keep the American people safe. This program that is 
established in my bipartisan bill will provide the additional resources 
to first responders so they can do just that.
  I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes of my time to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne) and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to 
control that time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 5859, the Community Counterterrorism 
Preparedness Act of 2016.
  Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, a pressure cooker bomb exploded in the 
Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. A second explosive was 
found only blocks away. Thankfully, nobody was killed, but 29 innocent 
people were injured. Over the course of the investigation, additional 
explosive devices were found in Elizabeth, New Jersey. All of these 
devices were ultimately connected devices that were found in Seaside 
Park, New Jersey, one of which exploded early Saturday morning.
  Law enforcement's pursuit of the suspected terrorist ended in Linden, 
New Jersey, which is in my congressional district. Yesterday, police 
successfully apprehended the suspect after a shootout in which two 
brave officers were shot. Thankfully, we understand that both injured 
Linden police officers have been released from the hospital. Officer 
Padilla and Officer Hammer have even made requests to go back to work.
  Mr. Speaker, the events of this past weekend reflect the evolving 
nature of the terrorist threats that our communities are confronting. 
From homemade explosive devices that are planted in multiple densely 
populated locations throughout a region to active shooter incidents, 
today's threat environment demands that local law enforcement be 
prepared to respond to these complex attacks.
  The Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act would formally 
authorize the $39 million Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks program 
funded in the fiscal year 2016 appropriations bill. The program would 
help our first responders access the training that is necessary to stay 
a step ahead of those who would do us harm and to keep our communities 
safe.
  I also want to express my deepest appreciation for the first 
responders and New Jersey citizens who came together to quickly 
identify and apprehend the suspect in the bombings. By remaining 
engaged and vigilant, Linden and Elizabeth residents, law enforcement, 
and first responders kept our communities safe and prevented loss of 
life. I know a lot of people will not acknowledge the help we got from 
the Muslim community, but I specifically acknowledge their efforts to 
assist authorities in apprehending the suspect.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  One thing that all three of us who have spoken on this bill tonight 
share is a desire to protect our homeland. I know that absolutely, 
completely to each of our cores we want our homeland protected. The 
issue comes in how we go about doing that and what lessons have been 
learned from prior mistakes and prior deaths and injuries.
  We continue to hear in the media about lone wolves. As Patrick Poole 
once said, They are not lone wolves. We keep finding that they are 
known wolves. It seems that, over and over, people who are killing in 
the name of Allah, killing in the name of the Islamic State and its 
leader, killing in the name of radical Islamic jihad have been 
questioned, have surfaced as a threat; yet, when they are investigated, 
they don't seem to be able to capture the fact that this is someone who 
has been radicalized and is going to go about killing people--killing 
Americans.
  If we look at Orlando and now at New York City, we are training law 
enforcement officers to spot nonexistent Islamophobes. That is an 
expression--a word--that was coined by the organization of the Islamic 
Council, which has 57 members--or states--or 50 states. I forget. With 
the United States or the OIC, one of us has 57 states and the other has 
50. Anyway, they are the ones who coined the phrases ``Islamaphobe,'' 
``Islamophobia,'' and that is what is being taught.
  As we have looked at how Homeland Security money has been spent in 
trying to prepare against radical Islamists--although they call it 
countering violent extremism, they don't want to say the words 
``radical Islam.'' The gentleman from Texas has repeatedly said the 
phrase ``radical Islam'' because he understands that that is what it 
is. Unfortunately, the Homeland Security Department still can't quite 
grasp what radical Islam is.
  For those who wonder is it even possible that money that we would 
appropriate under this bill, which makes clear on page 4 of the bill 
that, when applying for the money, at a minimum, the application has to 
say how the applicant will work with community partners--``community 
partners.'' That is an interesting phrase in itself.
  Where have we found that before?
  We have found that with Homeland Security; we have found that with 
the FBI; and we have heard testimony in our Judiciary Committee from 
FBI Director Mueller on the community partnership that they have had 
with mosques and with different groups, like CAIR. In fact, CAIR, 
itself, and other Islamic groups have even been actually named as 
unindicted coconspirators in the Holy Land Foundation trial in which 
the principals were convicted of supporting terrorism.

                              {time}  2015

  There were numerous unindicted coconspirators. The only ones who 
objected to their listing as unindicted coconspirators brought their 
motion to be struck from the pleading before the Federal district judge 
in the case. He examined the evidence and indicated there was plenty of 
evidence to support them being named as coconspirators. They weren't 
satisfied with that; they appealed it to the Fifth Circuit Court of 
Appeals.
  The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals examined the evidence that was 
available and said, just on the evidence available, that these groups 
that are objecting to being listed as coconspirators, there is plenty 
of evidence to show that they are coconspirators. The names shall not 
be struck.
  Yet, the FBI, the State Department, the Department of Homeland 
Security, the CIA, and our intelligence agencies continue to follow the 
instructions of the White House and, that is, to be

[[Page 13145]]

community partners with these groups that have ties to the Muslim 
Brotherhood.
  As I have traveled in the Middle East and North Africa, repeatedly, I 
have been asked by leaders, once the cameras are out of the room: Why 
do you not understand the Muslim Brotherhood has been at war with you 
for decades? You keep helping the Muslim Brotherhood. You keep getting 
advice from the Muslim Brotherhood. When are you going to learn?
  In Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood was born, Egypt has understood 
what a threat the Muslim Brotherhood is to Western civilization. They 
don't want to recognize our Constitution; they want it supplanted and 
replaced with Sharia law. We can live in peace with the vast number of 
Muslims in the world, but we need to be sure we recognize radical 
Islamic jihadists.
  So how do we go about training? The Committee on Homeland Security is 
making a wonderful gesture: Here is money for law enforcement officers 
to be trained. What happens? Well, they are told they have got to reach 
out with community partners.
  And I know from personally questioning former-FBI Director Mueller--I 
was chastising him for the fact that the United States was notified 
twice that the older Tsarnaev brother, the Boston bomber, had been 
radicalized and was going to kill people in the United States--they 
didn't do an adequate investigation.
  The best that I can determine, from the information the FBI provided, 
they sent an agent to talk to Tsarnaev himself. Apparently, he 
indicated: Gee, I am not a terrorist.
  Well, to be sure they did an adequate investigation, they went and 
talked to his mother. And his mother said, in essence, that he is not a 
terrorist; that he is a good boy. And the FBI checked the box that he 
is not a terrorist. He was a terrorist.
  We also know, from our hearings from material that only a few of us 
in this Congress have examined that was purged from the FBI training 
material, they have purged information from the training that our FBI, 
our intelligence, our Homeland Security, and our Justice Department can 
have to learn about what radical Islam is.
  We know that Osama bin Laden, for example, said that he was 
radicalized, and it began with his reading the Muslim Brotherhood 
Qutb's booklet called Milestones. The reading of that booklet helped 
radicalize Osama bin Laden.
  I would bet that, of the FBI agents that have been trained under this 
administration, most of them have never heard of Qutb. So nobody would 
have known to ask Tsarnaev: Have you read Milestones? What do you think 
of Milestones?
  I challenged Mueller that they had not even gone to the mosque to ask 
questions: How is Tsarnaev acting? Is he becoming more stern, more 
religious? Has he talked about Qutb? Has he talked about Milestones? 
What is he reading?
  I chastised him for not going to the mosque, and the best our FBI 
director could say was: We did go to that mosque in our outreach 
program.
  Oh, yes, they took money that was appropriated to train and prevent 
terrorism, and they go out and have sit-down programs, probably have 
some meals. I don't know what all they do in their outreach program, 
but they are not learning to spot radical Islamists.
  The Committee on Homeland Security has their heart in the right 
place. They are wanting to do the right thing. They are hearing from 
our Department of Homeland Security.
  Block grants to these law enforcement will allow them to train to 
prevent--and the language is--they may use the grant to conduct 
training and exercises consistent with preventing.
  That is where our training so far is going to help people--whether 
New York, Orlando, San Bernardino--to spot Islamophobes. That is why 
when a complaint is made in San Bernardino about the person that would 
go on to kill so many lives there, take so many lives there--yeah, they 
investigated, but they thought it was just an Islamophobe because that 
is what they have been trained to look for.
  When the FBI got a heads-up on the Orlando shooter, they 
investigated, and they figured, oh, this is probably just Muslim 
haters. That is what they are spending their money to train for.
  In New Jersey, they actually investigated Mr. Rahami after his own 
father reported him as a terrorist after he stabbed his own brother. 
What does the FBI do? They didn't go to his social media. If so, they 
would have learned he had been radicalized. They didn't bother to look 
at his travel records, as best we can tell, to see where he traveled, 
who he saw, where he went, or where he might have been radicalized. No. 
No. They eventually got from the father a recanting, so they let it go. 
As a result, countless people were nearly killed.
  Why? It is not because law enforcement in New Jersey or New York 
don't want to do their jobs and do the best job they can and save 
lives. These are good law enforcement officers, just as they are in San 
Bernardino and Orlando. They want to do their job, but they haven't had 
the right training.
  I would direct my friends to August 10 through 12 of 2011, Steve 
Coughlin, who used to brief the Joint Chiefs of Staff on radical Islam, 
along with some others who have spent their adult life studying radical 
Islam, was going to do a seminar for law enforcement training in the 
prevention of terrorist attacks or extremist attacks.
  Two days before law enforcement around the country were going to go 
to Langley to our intelligence agency and be trained on how to spot 
radical Islam, how to prevent these attacks--just like this money is 
going to be used here--someone with CAIR, the Council on American-
Islamic Relations, from the story we got, called someone at the White 
House. Someone at the White House called Langley: Cancel that training.
  They changed the guidelines so that only people who were going to 
train about Islamophobia and minimize the training about true radical 
Islam and how to spot it are now allowed to teach our law enforcement 
as long as this administration is here in place.
  So my proposal was: Let's amend this language, and we could just say 
that none of this money can be used in correlation or coordinating with 
or to go to anyone who was named as a coconspirator in the Holy Land 
Foundation trial, or the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates, or CAIR 
and its affiliates.
  This is a suspension bill; it cannot be amended. For that reason, I 
regretfully must oppose the bill and urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' 
until we can get a bill so law enforcement can be trained to spot 
radical Islamists and not dismiss those warnings of the radicals as 
nothing but a bunch of Islamophobes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GOHMERT. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I listened diligently to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), who is a friend and a colleague, 
both in the Judiciary and in the Appropriations Legislative Branch 
Subcommittee.
  I am not going to address the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) by 
his first name because judges don't address opponents by their first 
name.
  Mr. Gohmert, your frustration level is extremely high, as I would 
argue most Americans' frustration level is extremely high.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their 
remarks to the Chair.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Gohmert's frustration level is 
extremely high, as I would argue the American citizens' frustration 
level is extremely high.
  For that reason, he is concerned about what people who are avoiding 
the intent of the law are doing to circumvent the laws in this country. 
So am I.
  But does that mean, because we don't trust someone in the White House 
or someone in an agency to do the right thing, we shouldn't provide the 
additional training that will keep law enforcement officers from being 
killed because they weren't trained well enough to respond in a first 
responder situation or an active shooter situation?
  We are trying to get additional funding to train up every person who 
enforces the law right in this country. I

[[Page 13146]]

understand Mr. Gohmert's worry about these people who are circumventing 
the intent of the Congress. We all worry about that quite a bit. But it 
is not a reason to take down a piece of legislation that will provide 
needed resources for first responders and law enforcement across this 
great land.
  Those people, the better trained they are, the better chance they 
have got to stay alive. If they stay alive, they can do their job.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, since I know I have 
very little time left, let me respond.
  When you can't trust the people in the White House to train properly 
to recognize radical Islam, then it is incumbent upon the Congress to 
put the language in our bill so they don't have a choice. It is not my 
level of frustration with people circumventing the law. It is the fact 
that we have the power to put in the bills who does the training, who 
will get the training, exactly what kind of training, and we are 
leaving it to this administration.
  As a result, my frustration is that people are being killed and 
injured needlessly. Because, even as we stand here with the language in 
this bill, this administration has already shown that they will train--
in order to prepare for and to prevent a terrorist attack, yes, I know 
they can get training for active shooting--but they are being trained 
to prevent and prepare for.
  You have to learn about Islamophobia. Let's put the language in there 
so that this administration cannot prevent the true professors of 
radical Islam from teaching law enforcement on what to look for to know 
whether someone is radicalized.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as I already seemed to have 
expressed fairly passionately with Mr. Gohmert, I am very proud to 
support H.R. 5859, the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, 
because this bill authorizes $39 million to allow our first responders 
to conduct training and exercises to prevent, prepare for, and respond 
to terrorist attacks, including attacks that involve active shooters.
  The Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security has provided 
funds for this program, and I am glad to join the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. McCaul) in pushing forward a formal authorization.

                              {time}  2030

  We have to do everything in our power to make sure our local law 
enforcement has the ability to respond during terrorist attacks or 
active shooter scenarios.
  If you just watch those first responder-trained Dallas policemen as 
they went into that high-rise parking garage, how they parked the cars, 
how they moved through the cars, that is first responder training and 
how it saves lives.
  Time and again we have seen tragic accidents brought to an end by our 
law enforcement officers, and often they are the first ones on the 
scene. We must ensure that they have the training they need to do their 
job safely but effectively.
  I have long supported similar training through the Department of 
Justice's VALOR program, which conducts training right in our backyard 
in Texas at Texas State University's ALERRT facility.
  The President recently signed my POLICE Act, which will allow local 
law enforcement to access active shooter response training through the 
COPS grants. I am proud to support this similar legislation that once 
again gives more resources to our first responders and our law 
enforcement officers so we can save their lives and help them to save 
our lives.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), my good friend, stated one 
thing that was true in his speech, that he does not know what community 
outreach means. It is something that helps first responders, has 
helped; but obviously, he has had no experiences with that.
  This talk and this notion about the White House and what they are and 
they aren't and what they do and they don't do--when our greatest 
enemy, Osama bin Laden, was in our sights, whoever or whatever at the 
White House said: Take that shot. So to continue to question certain 
people's resolve in keeping the homeland safe I think is disrespectful.
  Mr. Speaker, nothing in this bill provides that any entity other than 
law enforcement will be eligible to receive grant funding. Only law 
enforcement will be eligible. This bill merely provides that community 
partners that law enforcement are being trained to protect are included 
in the efforts to prepare for complex and coordinated attacks. This is 
language I added, and I thank the chairman for his commitment to 
community preparedness.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Donovan).
  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Payne), my friend, who is on the Subcommittee on Emergency 
Preparedness, Response, and Communications with me, a subcommittee of 
Chairman McCaul's Committee on Homeland Security.
  I rise in support of H.R. 5859, the Community Counterterrorism 
Preparedness Act. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill 
that was introduced by the leadership of Chairman McCaul.
  Mr. Speaker, we recently commemorated the 15th anniversary of the 
September 11 attacks. In the 15 years since that tragedy, first 
responders have taken steps--often with the help of Federal homeland 
security grant funding--to enhance their ability to prevent, prepare 
for, and respond to terrorist attacks. Much progress has been made in 
that time.
  But the terrorist threat is evolving. As Chairman McCaul noted, 
terrorists have transitioned from the 9/11-type, large-scale attacks to 
smaller attacks that are either directed or inspired by overseas 
terrorist organizations. We must ensure that our first responders are 
prepared to counter changing terrorist tactics, and that is why this 
bill is so important.
  H.R. 5859 will provide first responders in major metropolitan areas 
across our great Nation with funding to address the evolving terror 
threats facing our homeland, a need reinforced by this weekend's 
attacks in New York City and New Jersey.
  On Saturday morning at 8:30 at a Marine Corps race honoring our 
veterans, a bomb exploded. Less than 12 hours later, in a busy, 
restaurant-filled section of Manhattan known as Chelsea, at 8:30, 
another explosion occurred. And the next evening in Elizabeth, New 
Jersey, at a train station, another bomb was discovered and eventually 
exploded as a robot tried to dismantle it. All three of these locations 
were picked because they are heavily traveled, there were many people 
there, and it could have caused great destruction. Twenty-nine people 
were injured in the Chelsea incident.
  During the investigation that led to the apprehension of the villain 
who masterminded these attacks on our innocent citizens, Mr. Rahami, 
law enforcement tracked and detained associates of his while they were 
driving through my district, and it was Mr. Payne's district in which 
Rahami was apprehended. This is personal to us.
  I recently attended a number of memorials for first responders from 
my district who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11. When I was 
elected to Congress 16 short months ago, I requested to become a member 
of the Committee on Homeland Security so I could work with my 
colleagues to ensure that our first responders, those brave men and 
women, have the tools they need to ensure our communities are 
protected.
  When the 2017 Presidential budget proposal cut the Urban Area 
Security Initiative grants in half, there were people on this floor, 
particularly people on the Committee on Homeland Security, who 
advocated for and restored those grants. I want to thank Chairman 
McCaul for his leadership and for introducing this bipartisan bill. I 
urge all Members to join me in supporting the legislation.

[[Page 13147]]


  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to Chairman 
McCaul to control.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. McCaul) will control the time.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire, how much time do I have?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 5 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I attended the 9/11 ceremony. It was a moving 
experience. I spent almost my entire career working with law 
enforcement, with Federal law enforcement and State and local law 
enforcement, as both a Federal prosecutor and a State prosecutor.
  Today I released a report called the National Strategy to Win the War 
Against Islamist Terror. I would submit that nobody knows this issue 
better than I do. It is the reason I am chairman of this committee. I 
get the briefings. I understand the threat level. And, yes, it is 
radical Islamist terror.
  I had an NYPD intelligence briefing after the 9/11 ceremony briefing 
me in a classified setting on how this threat has evolved from not just 
go to Syria to join the fight but, rather, kill and attack where you 
are. As I met with those brave men and women at NYPD, they said: Mr. 
Chairman, we need your help in this fight; we need the UASI funding; 
and, yes, we need funding to help us with the active shooter threat 
that is out there, with the IED threat that is out there, with the 
suicide bomber threat, targeting New York. And guess what. Just a few 
days later, we got hit again. Not just in New York, but in New Jersey 
and in Minnesota.
  These funds, importantly, go to no one but law enforcement and first 
responders. It doesn't go to the people Mr. Gohmert is talking about. 
It goes directly to police chiefs and to first responders and fire 
departments, who are our heroes, and we should have their backs. Day in 
and day out they protect the American people, and to suggest or even 
insinuate that these heroes, frontline defenders would in any way 
conspire with the Muslim Brotherhood or radical Islamist terrorists is 
an insult, and it is disgraceful to this body, to this Chamber. It is 
an assault on all law enforcement and first responders across this 
country. We shouldn't doubt our police chiefs, our law enforcement, our 
fire chiefs, our first responders. We should have their backs. Mr. 
Speaker, that is exactly what this bill is designed to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim the 
balance of my time to respond to my remarks being disgraceful.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 
2\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there is nothing that I have said that impugns the 
integrity of any law enforcement officer. I have worked with law 
enforcement officers; I have been a prosecutor; I have been a judge. I 
know how tough their job is. There is nothing I have said that would 
impugn their integrity. There is nothing that is disgraceful except 
when a Congress refuses to learn from repeated killings, murders by 
radical Islamists.
  I understand the intent. It is going to train for active shooters. 
But when the language in the bill says ``such grant to conduct training 
and exercises consistent with preventing,'' then I can guarantee you 
because even though my friend says he knows more about this issue than 
anyone else, he doesn't know, apparently, what Homeland Security is 
doing with the money, doing with the training, didn't know about the 
changes that were made by this administration to who can teach about 
radical Islam.
  And so I would simply say, we really do need to help our law 
enforcement learn what radical Islam is about, and the way to do that 
is put it in the bill so this administration cannot change what is done 
with the money. That is what we should be doing.
  As far as community outreach, I know all about community outreach. I 
have been with Muslim friends at mosques. I know about community 
outreach. But I try to make sure I am not talking to the foxes that 
Homeland Security has brought into the henhouse. If you think I am 
wrong, look at the article published in Egypt by the Muslim 
Brotherhood, a pre-approved publication, that identified six Muslim 
brothers who were high consultants, including Elibiary. I warned about 
him for years in Homeland Security, and nobody in this body would help 
me on the committee to get Elibiary out. Finally, after Elibiary 
tweeted out that the international caliphate was inevitable, finally 
Homeland Security allowed him to rotate off of their advisory council. 
We have got foxes in the henhouse, and it is up to Congress to get them 
out. That is why I oppose the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5859, 
the ``Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act,'' for two reasons.
  First, the bill will save lives. Second, the legislation is necessary 
to support the vital work of first responders in preparing for and 
responding to crises that may range from terrorist incidents to active 
shooter events.
  As a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I 
understand how critical it is for our first responders to be prepared 
and well trained to manage a wide range of potential threats both 
conventional and unconventional.
  September is National Preparedness Month, which serves as a reminder 
that we all must take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, 
for the types of emergencies that could affect us where we live, work, 
and also where we visit.
  The recent events in New York, New Jersey, and Minnesota highlight 
the importance of H.R. 5859, which amends the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 to establish the major Metropolitan Area Counterterrorism Training 
and Exercise Grant Program.
  The legislation directs components of the Department of Homeland 
Security to conduct training programs for emergency response providers 
to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the most likely terrorist 
attack scenarios, including active shooters.
  My congressional district, which is centered in the city of Houston 
Texas, which has a population of 2.2 million, is the fourth most 
populous city in the United States, trailing only New York, Los 
Angeles, and Chicago.
  Houston, largest city in the South and the Southwest.
  The city is a racially diverse and ethnically dynamic city comprised 
of Anglo (38.8 percent), Hispanic (35.9 percent), African American 
(16.7 percent), Asian (6.7 percent) and others.
  More than 145 different languages are spoken in Houston, the third 
largest number of languages spoken in a U.S. city behind New York (192) 
and Los Angeles (185).
  It is appropriate that we address how we can better coordinate 
preparedness training so that first responders can accomplish what we 
have seen over the last few days--in every city in the nation.
  The Homeland Security Act created the Emergency Preparedness and 
Response Directorate within the Department of Homeland Security with 
the purpose of partnering with states, local and tribal governments to 
accomplish the following:
  promote the effectiveness of emergency responders through standards, 
training exercises, and funding;
  manage and coordinate specified federal resources;
  aid recovery in the event of an attack;
  build an intergovernmental national incident management system to 
guide responses;
  consolidate existing federal response plans; and,
  develop programs for communications.
  There are over 1 million firefighters in the United States, of which 
750,000 are volunteers.
  Local police departments have about 556,000 full-time employees.
  Sheriffs' offices reported about 291,000 full-time employees.
  There are over 155,000 nationally registered emergency medical 
technicians (EMT).
  H.R. 5859 provides an additional resource to first responders to do 
the work they have dedicated their lives to doing--saving lives.
  Last year, the House passed my bill, H.R. 2795, the ``First Responder 
Identification of Emergency Needs in Disaster Situations,'' (FRIENDS 
Act).

[[Page 13148]]

  The FRIENDS Act embodies the important and fundamental idea that we 
have an obligation to ensure that the first responders who protect our 
loved ones in emergencies, have the peace of mind that comes from 
knowing that their loved ones are safe while they do their duty.
  The FRIENDS Act reflects stakeholder input and bipartisan 
collaboration with the Majority.
  I am passionate about the work of those who dedicate themselves to 
public service.
  I hold in high regard the service of firefighters, law enforcement 
officers, emergency response technicians, nurses, emergency room 
doctors, and the dozens of other professionals who are the ultimate 
public servants.
  First responders are called to serve and few outside of their ranks 
can understand why they do the work that they do each day--placing 
their lives in harm's way to save a stranger.
  A law enforcement officer, fire fighters, and emergency medical 
technicians make our lives safer, while often at the same time putting 
their own lives at risk.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5859, the 
``Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act.''
  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. 5859, 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. GOHMERT. 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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