Protecting Americans Against The Threat Of Terrorism

Statement

Recent events prove that more than eight years after 9/11, the threat of terrorism here in the United States is still very real. Preventing terrorist efforts in our country is a continuous and daily effort, but the attempted bombing of a United States bound airplane on Christmas Day has exposed failures in our security.

Because of little more than luck, this terrorist attack attempt failed, but it serves as a reminder that there are people in our world who want to harm our country and its citizens and will go to great lengths to accomplish this.

Like many of you, I am concerned about the transfer of terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to U.S. soil. I have voted to keep the terrorists in the facility at Guantanamo Bay, not on U.S. soil, and have worked to prevent funding from being used to transfer the detainees currently housed there to the U.S.

By passing the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, as well as H.R. 4127, which would require terrorists and illegal enemy combatants who are not U.S. Citizens be tried in military tribunals and not civilians courts, we can prevent the transfer or release of terrorists and illegal enemy combatants into the U.S. and prevent them access to civilian courts. We must also analyze our intelligence gathering and analysis cooperation within and between agencies, which would better prevent terrorists from slipping through the cracks in our security in the future. We must adopt appropriate security tactics to better identify threats as they pass through our transportation systems.

We need to remain vigilant and always remember that we are up against a determined enemy who seeks to destroy the American spirit and way of life. As Congress heads back to work for the Second Session of the 111th Congress, this will undoubtedly be a topic for congressional hearings. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Aviation Subcommittee, as well as the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, I am committed to working with my colleagues to protect Americans and our allies from the threat of terrorism.

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