Providing for Consideration of H.R. 4038, American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I usually begin my statements talking about the technicalities of the rule, who is managing the general debate time, and a recap of the testimony and amendments we received in the Committee on Rules hearing. These are important items to discuss before this body. But today is different. The debates that we will have on this rule and the underlying legislation will be and should be different.

I will be honest. This bill has nothing to do today with job creation. It has nothing to do with reducing regulatory burden or empowering educators to focus on the needs of students rather than the wish list of unions. Those are important issues that we will address in coming weeks. But today is different.

Today, we face the growing evil in the world and resolve to fight against it, no matter the price. The power of ISIS to kill and destroy has stunned the world and called us to question who we are as individuals, as people of faith, and as a Nation.

It doesn't matter how many press conferences this administration holds, they will not distract from their abdication of responsibility to the security of the United States and the security of its citizens.

The pro-rape, pro-torture, pro-mutilation strategy of Islamic State does not shrink in the face of meaningless words by our Commander in Chief. We are here today because this administration has failed. In the face of unspeakable violence and terror, the White House blinked. And our world is paying the price.

My colleagues across the aisle no doubt plan to deliver moral lectures, as this administration is so fond of, dismissing those who suggest that the Islamic State will use any means possible to bring America to her knees. Before they do, let me remind them the price this country has paid for freedom.

Soil around the world is soaked with the blood of our sons and our daughters who gave it all so that we may be free--as Lincoln said, ``that last full measure of devotion''--and so those who seek refuge can find safety and security in our country.

Despite what the administration wants you to believe, refugees don't seek safe haven because of our welfare benefits. It is because we don't negotiate with terrorists. It is because we recognize our first and greatest responsibility is the life and liberty of those who call America home.

We are a Nation of immigrants. We are a Nation of laws. And we are a Nation with a fundamental responsibility to preserve the rights of our citizens. And those rights include life.

The United States has one of the most generous legal immigration programs in the world, welcoming the hurting and abandoned, the persecuted and destitute. And we will continue to. But we will not welcome terrorists. We will not sacrifice moral courage on the altar of quotas.

This country and the world will be judged by future generations on our response as a Nation and as individuals to the Islamic State and those they have raped, tortured, driven from their homes, and murdered. And I believe we will also be judged on our commitment to the safety of the millions of men, women, and children already living within our borders.

The underlying legislation, H.R. 4038, isn't about who we welcome into our country. It is about keeping out those who pose a threat to our national security.

Last night, the Rules Committee received testimony from the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee chairmen and minority representatives, as well as receiving amendment testimony from a number of Members on both sides of the aisle, for over 4 hours.

Now, more than ever, those who seek shelter in the United States deserve the assurance that our government is doing everything within its power to protect them from the very evil they fled.

But where is the administration? Perhaps if the Commander in Chief would stop holding press conferences to lecture Republicans and start leading the world in the fight against terrorists, we wouldn't have thousands upon thousands tortured, displaced, and killed.

The White House said ISIS was contained less than 24 hours before 100 people became the latest victims of terrorism on the streets of Paris. And, oh, by the way, before releasing five from Guantanamo that morning. It seems the President was too busy practicing his Turkish for the G-20 Summit remarks to notice the world is crumbling and the Islamic State is growing stronger.

In fact, when the President spoke at the G-20 Summit press conference, here is what he mentioned before addressing the terrorist attacks in Paris: the beauty of Turkey; the hospitality of the Turkish people; his practice of the Turkish language; the need to grow the global economy; the need to create jobs; rising inequality in the world; cyber theft; and oh, yes, global climate talks.

There is no question that we have a political commentator when what our Nation and the world needs is a Commander in Chief.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I was sort of amazed--it took almost probably 7 or 8 minutes--but we came to the real heart of the problem: just throw money at it. If you don't fix a problem, just throw money at it. When you are showing no leadership, I guess I would throw a diversionary tactic out there and do that as well.

What I am having trouble understanding is also what has been said by many speakers this morning, Mr. Speaker, and that is that true refugees are not the problem. They can still apply. Nothing in this bill keeps that rigorous process from them applying and going through that process. We are simply adding a certification step.

Now, undoubtedly, that is a little cumbersome for our Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security because he has this problem: he says it is cumbersome for him to certify each Syrian refugee personally.

There are issues here. Is it just hugely cumbersome and not the most effective use of the Secretary's time? I am sorry; you are the Secretary of Homeland Security in this country. Your job is to keep us protected. However that may play out, get the resources and do what you are supposed to be doing.

It is not like the example of keeping a young mother with kids from going through the process. There is nothing in this bill that does that. That is a distraction.

I will talk about the rule. The rule is straightforward. Vote for the rule in just a few minutes. Vote with the side of those protecting America. Make sure that we are protected. That is a simple choice this morning.

That is what this rule does. It gets us to a bill that allows us to put an extra level of security and an extra level of certification so this administration cannot just continue to do what they are doing.

I was stunned just a few moments ago when I heard from my friend that this appeals to the worst in the U.S.

This appeals to the worst in the U.S.? Protecting America and trying to find ways to do that appeals to the worst of us?

That, to me, is derogatory to every man and woman who serves in our military, who goes and fights for freedom not only here but abroad. You are telling me to add a level of protection to those who live within our borders is appealing to the base of who we are?

That is not true. Deflect how you want to. Talk about this bill. Vote ``no'' if you want to. Go on the side of saying, you know, we have got it pretty good right now. Those that have come haven't done anything.

I would rather see a proactive approach. I would rather see something that is very reflective of the world's times. When we do that, then we are fulfilling our role. That is the best of America, not the worst.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would just say, if the gentleman agrees that we need to enforce and have strong protections to make sure that we are not attacked, then my recommendation would be vote ``yes'' on the rule and vote ``yes'' on the bill. It is a pretty simple choice here. Or you can go back and explain to most of the people in your district who agree that we need to protect our country--it is something across our country, from coast to coast, that says this is something that is worth doing, and I think we need to look at that.

I do want to hit this hard in just a moment. There are times--and especially when you come to a decision like this--when we understand how we got here and that it was put together by six chairmen who, over the weekend and this past week after the tragic result of last Friday night in Paris, have put together this first step in legislation to deal with this, and there will be other steps coming. But to characterize this as something that basically has not been considered--there are committees, the Judiciary Committee on which I serve, the Homeland Security Committee, and others, who have been looking at this issue for a long time.

This is something that has come together, and it gives us an immediate first step, and it makes a very clear choice.

Do you want to add a layer of protection to protect the American people or not? If you don't want to, vote ``no.'' If you don't want to do that, vote ``no.'' Vote ``no'' on the rule. Vote ``no'' on the bill. Talk about the process. Whine about whatever you want. But this is a clear choice. The bill is protection or not.

The other issue that we need to really just assess here is, when we look at what we are doing, the question is about leadership, and the question is about how are we going to protect those. It doesn't shut it down.

Also, it was just mentioned just a little bit ago that there was a hearing right now. The implication was that the hearing had something to do with this bill. Let's just be very clear. The hearing is about the Syrian refugee issue as a whole, not this bill. We are not taking away from that. This is an issue and a hearing that had been planned. It is happening. Those are other discussions that will be coming forward.

So let's at least make sure that we are giving the right implications on what is going on on the Hill right now.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I appreciate the gentleman's words. I agree with him. No party claims a right of both as one protects, one doesn't. But I will say this: Both of us have the same commitment to raising our hand and saying we do protect. Both parties have that in common.

And as someone who has served, myself, and been in a war zone in Iraq and understands what this is about, I appreciate the gentleman's feelings. My problem is this: Go to your district. As was said just a few moments ago, they felt better about no hearings. My question is, go to your district and ask your district this question, Mr. Speaker: Would you rather have a hearing, or would you rather do something to protect them?

Would you rather have hearings or go and do something to protect, and then come back, as we have done hearings, and work moving forward?

This is a process that should be together. I am really, frankly, amazed that we are not together on this because, at this point, it does nothing--I repeat, does nothing--to shut the process down. It simply adds a layer of protection.

It doesn't shut it down. It doesn't defame our humanitarian effort around world in which we lead the way in both money and resources, and it still allows that mother with those kids to apply and go through the process.

We are simply saying, let's pause a moment and make sure that it is not just the mother with the kids, that there is not somebody else abusing the system, there is not somebody else hiding through the system that wants to come into this country and do us harm.

Let's frame this in very simple terms. It is a very simple bill. It is only four pages. When we understand that, we can continue.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Also, I just want to say that it shouldn't have been shocking. There was nothing in part of what I said, that you have to have regular order or a bill. I am simply saying, here is the process it went through that we have had here.

That is a false dichotomy, Mr. Speaker. It is not true. I never said you couldn't have regular order and have a bill. You have both. In this case, you have a bill.

The bill says in very plain and simple terms--4 pages--here is what it does, and that is where we go at it. To continue to say that it does other stuff that it doesn't do is simply wrong. We are just simply saying: We are giving another layer of protection. Take that layer of protection. Let's continue to have our hearings, let's continue to have our debate, and we will be bringing others because we are already taking the fight--and that is another issue that we need to have. It is time to call the radical Islamic terrorists what they are, thugs in this world, rapists, torturers, and murderers. They have no regard for religion and no regard for themselves. They are simply plain thugs.

If we want to talk about what we are fighting, then let's put it in those terms. Let's put it in those terms. I prefer that we have an extra measure of protection keeping those folks out while we take the fight to them because I believe, as the Air Force that I serve and the military we have, the fight is coming to them, and the thugs will not win. We are just going to put an extra measure of protection here to make sure they don't come in here while maintaining the integrity of our program.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I share many times the frustration my friend from Massachusetts has about this place. When I look at what is going on today, my frustration, frankly, on the floor here has probably grown, considering that we talk about everything else except what the bill actually does. We throw up every picture of everything.

I am not sure at what point today--and I can go back through my remarks. I am not sure where I ever disparaged a refugee, ever said that the inhumanity and suffering that is going on because of a bunch of thugs called the Islamic State, that these folks do not need to have a place to go or humanitarian help, which America has led on from the beginning. It is easy to say that.

As the gentleman is fond of saying, Mr. Speaker, it makes political points. Well, the same is true for him and true for our folks across the aisle. It makes political points for them. The problem is it is not in the bill. The problem is it is adding an extra layer.

There has been discussion here today about the political whims. Look, I believe that what is happening right now is a test of two things: thermometers and thermostats.

This administration is a pretty good thermometer. They will look out and tell you what they believe the temperature is, and they react to the world opinion.

I believe today the Republican majority is acting as a thermostat and moving the temperature and moving the awareness. Because I do not believe that an event could be ignored if it is not being used. It is saying there is a warning sign. It is like a warning sign on your vehicle. You can ignore it, and when it breaks down, you wonder what happened; or you can say, here is a warning sign, here is what is going on in the world.

All we are asking for is certification from our highest officials in security to say these folks have another level of check so that we can ensure our homeland is protected.

One attack on American soil is too many. The Islamic State has been clear in their desire to bring America to her knees. The underlying legislation won't change that. But as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee stated last night, it will put this administration on notice that Congress will not be silent.

We will take up the national security mantle that this White House has so carelessly disregarded. In the weeks ahead, you can expect this body to bring forward additional legislation reforming both our refugee and visa waiver programs.

There is no loophole or vulnerability that ISIS won't seek to use to kill and destroy, and there is no loophole or vulnerability the House Republicans aren't committed and determined to fix, and I desperately ask my friends across the aisle to join us.

Our Nation is a beacon of freedom and hope, and no force of evil will ever change that. No terrorist will ever cause Republicans in this body to shy away from our duty to our citizens or our duty to the world, and for that I believe both sides need to come together.

The President stated ISIS is the JV. I believe the families and loved ones of the recent attacks on an airplane in Paris would not say that, in fact, would say otherwise.

The administration's refusal to look the Islamic State in the eye and declare with a resounding voice that they will be defeated is devastating, but it isn't the end. Where this White House has failed, Congress will succeed. We will work tirelessly to restore the faith and trust of the American people. We will replace political posturing with policy priorities dealing with our national security, as opposed to those of a more liberal strategy that we have heard today.

Look, I know my friends across the aisle share the same heart. We grieve the lives lost. We grieve for those who are caught up in war and caught up in the devastating attacks by a group of people who, frankly--ISIS--have no soul. They are blank. Because if you are agreeable to do the atrocities that they are doing, you just have no part in a civilized world. You have no part in being acknowledged except for the animals that you are.

I recognize they are in an impossible position of choosing either the safety of their constituents or the political strategy of the President--I understand that--across the aisle.

My hope is that today--today--will be different, that we don't take the easy ``no'' vote, that we will have the moral courage to make the decision that says ``no'' to terrorism and ``yes'' to the American people, a vote that will ensure that our country remains a safe haven for those the rest of the world has abandoned.

Again, let me repeat this again, because it has been said. I guess if we say it enough, we believe it to be true.

This does not stop the program. It simply says that, until we can certify, we are going to make sure that there is an extra level of protection for the people. It does not shut the program down.

A vote in support of this rule and for H.R. 4038 is what we need. And after we bow our heads in thanks next week, filled with gratitude for those who have gone before, we will return with renewed commitment to further reforms.

Evil will not win. ISIS will not win. With the steadfast spirit and courage of conviction of those who came before, those who gave their lives, we will not let the torch of freedom go out on our watch, and we will continue to fight for those in our country, for their safety, our sons and daughters, as we continue this fight.

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