Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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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.

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.

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