[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11143-11144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          TASK FORCE ON DENYING TERRORISTS ENTRY INTO THE U.S.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic 
State the other week was a major victory for the Iraqi people and for 
the United States, which supported the operation.
  But to achieve victory in our broader mission of destroying radical 
Islamic terrorism and keeping the American people safe, we must 
confront some tough questions about the road ahead.
  As chairman of the Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry into the 
United States, I am concerned about the degree to which jihadists and 
foreign fighters threaten our homeland and our ability to meet these 
threats.

                              {time}  1030

  We know that Iraqi fighters are concealing their identities and 
fleeing with groups of refugees, many to Europe. These returning 
fighters have learned to make dangerous weapons, have gotten 
battlefield experience, and are successfully training young people 
susceptible to radicalization. We know our visa waiver program, which 
allows many European citizens to travel to the U.S. without a visa, 
provides a window of opportunity for these determined terrorists to 
exploit.
  Confronting these threats lies in our ability to quickly and 
effectively vet and screen travelers, share sufficient intelligence 
with our allies, and act on credible threats when identified. And the 
threats are real.
  Between 100 and 250 ideologically driven foreigners are thought to 
have been smuggled into Europe between 2014 and 2016. These foreign 
fighters pose a greater threat to the West than ever before; and for 
the sake of our national security, it is a threat we cannot overlook, 
and it is a threat we must work together to confront. Nothing can be 
put ahead of the safety and security of the homeland.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker.


          The Role of Congress in Pushing Back Against Russia

  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today not as a Republican or a 
Democrat, but as an American. If we can really find a way to cut 
through the media circus surrounding the debate about Russia in the 
past few weeks, I think it would reinforce for all of us that whatever 
our political differences, our country must always come first.
  Those who would destroy our way of life do not wear the jersey of one 
political party or another. The only laundry they wear is the flag of 
their nation, whose interests they will advance regardless of domestic 
American politics.
  And make no mistake, Mr. Speaker: Russia, under Vladimir Putin, is 
not our friend. He is on no one's team but his own.
  There are concrete steps that we in Congress can take to push back 
against Russian aggression both here at home and overseas. To start 
with, we must pass sanctions on Russia and Iran. The Senate passed a 
sanctions bill 98-2 just

[[Page 11144]]

1 month ago. We need to do the same. No more excuses. We need to vote 
immediately.
  Most of all, Congress must reclaim its long-neglected role in foreign 
policy. Russia is not and will never be a partner in Syria. It has 
supported and enabled the Assad regime's genocidal war while focusing 
much of its military campaign against U.S.-supported rebels.
  At the same time, the growth of Iranian power has deepened the 
sectarian atmosphere off which ISIS thrives. ISIS and Iran are two 
sides of the same coin of religious fundamentalism.
  To advance our long-term interests in Syria and in the Middle East, 
we must cease outsourcing our foreign policy to our adversaries, and we 
can no longer cede a sphere of influence to the Russians and the 
Iranians.
  We here in Congress have a constitutionally mandated role to play. 
True, we have been derelict in this duty for decades, but we now have 
an opportunity to reclaim our authority.
  As part of a congressionally led campaign to push back against our 
adversaries, we should revisit the underlying authorities that are 
allowing us to conduct lethal activities around the world. We need to 
pass a new Authorization for Use of Military Force to put our efforts 
against ISIS, against al-Qaida, against all of their affiliates and 
anyone else who would seek to challenge our interests on the strongest 
legal footing possible. We can't just sit on the sidelines. The part of 
passive spectator is unworthy of this great body.
  We must lead when it comes to both enhancing our defenses against 
attacks and pushing back against Russian or Iranian aggression abroad. 
To do otherwise would be to abdicate our responsibility to our 
constituents, to our Nation, and to the oath we all took to protect 
this country.

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