Fighting Terrorism

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, over the past few months, terrorists inspired or directed by ISIL have committed mass murder in Brussels, in California, and in France. When ISIL issued a call for lone-wolf attacks against the West during Ramadan, its followers heard the call.

This week, just outside Paris, more innocent lives were ended brutally by a terrorist who broadcasted news of the attack over the Internet.

This week in Orlando, Americans were targeted deliberately and taken forever from their families by a terrorist ISIL has claimed is ``one of the soldiers of the caliphate.''

It is clear from his behavior that this was not a random act of violence. This was a calculated act of terror.

As CIA Director John Brennan testified this morning before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: Islamic State militants are ``training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West.'' He also called this terrorist attack an assault on the values of openness and tolerance that define the United States as a nation.

Well, of course, he is absolutely right. It throws into stark relief the troubling reality we now face.

ISIL is not the JV team. ISIL is certainly not ``contained.'' ISIL is the personification of evil in the world, and it will continue to bring tragedy after tragedy to our own doorsteps until it is defeated.

President Obama needs to finally lead a campaign to accomplish this objective or, at the very least, prepare the military and intelligence community to help the next President do it if he won't. This is his primary responsibility in the wake of this terrorist tragedy.

Here is ours. Here is what we need to do. Our responsibility in the Senate is to make a choice: work on serious solutions to prevent terrorist attacks or use the Senate as a campaign studio--as a campaign studio. Yesterday, the FBI Director came to deliver a critical briefing on Orlando and explain what is needed to prevent similar terrorist attacks in the future. Senate Republicans attended and asked serious questions. A rather significant group of Senate Democrats skipped it-- skipped the briefing all together--for a campaign talkathon out here on the Senate floor, which also prevented us from going forward on the bill, offering amendments and votes.

It is hard to think of a clearer contrast between serious work for solutions on the one hand and endless partisan campaigning on the other.

Doing what we can to fight terror beyond our borders and to prevent attacks within our border were priorities of ours well before the terrorist attack in Orlando, and they continue to be at the forefront of our efforts now.

We just passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act. It will go a long way toward helping Americans confront global security challenges today and toward preparing the next Commander in Chief to take on the threats tomorrow.

We are now working to pass an appropriations bill that will give the FBI and other law enforcement officials more of the resources needed to track down and defuse threats right here on American soil. As we consider that measure, we are continuing to explore additional tools that can help prevent devastating terrorist attacks, such as tools to help us permanently address the threat of lone-wolf terrorists and to help us connect the dots when it comes to terrorist communications.

Now is the time for Democrats to finally join with us in pursuing serious solutions that can actually make a real difference.

As we said on Tuesday, there will be amendment votes on this bill. There will be amendment votes on this bill. Yesterday, we were prepared to begin that process but were unable to get amendments pending because of the extended floor debate that went on until 2 o'clock this morning. We will try again today to move forward with amendments from both sides, and once there is an agreement to do so, we will update everybody.

So, look, of course, no one wants terrorists to be able to buy guns. No one wants terrorists to be able to buy guns. So if Democrats are actually serious about getting a solution on that issue and not just making a political talking point, they will join with us to support Senator Cornyn's SHIELD Act. It will give the Justice Department the ability to prevent known or suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms. It will protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. It will go a step further as well and actually allow terrorists to be taken into custody if a judge finds probable cause.

Now, that is a serious solution on this issue. Let's remember, however, that this issue represents only a piece of a much bigger challenge. Director Brennan also told the Intelligence Committee today that ``despite all of our progress against ISIL on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group's terrorist capability and global reach.'' That is Brennan.

If we want to prevent ISIL-inspired and directed attacks, we have to defeat ISIL in Iraq and in Syria. If we want to prevent ISIL-inspired and directed attacks, we have to defeat ISIL in Iraq and in Syria.

Here is what that means. From the White House, it means we don't need another lecture or another threat to veto the Defense bill. It means we need real leadership and a plan of action to defeat ISIL.

From our colleagues here in the Senate, it means we don't need more campaign talkathons like we witnessed yesterday, preventing us from actually voting. It means we need serious solutions and hard work. After all, that is what our constituents sent us here to do.

We may have gotten held back by a day, but now we are able to keep moving forward to set up votes on both sides, just as we always expected.

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