Require Evaluation Before Implementing Executive Wishlists Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I am opposed in its current form.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to the committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

Just over a week ago, the Nation observed the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. On that day, terror and hate not only took the lives of 3,000 innocent people, but also inflicted $3.3 trillion in economic damage to our Nation. In response to this unprecedented attack on U.S. soil, the Department of Homeland Security was established.

To be successful, DHS must work with State, local, and private sector partners. Many of DHS's programs are voluntary, but in some areas, where the threats are high and voluntary measures are inadequate, DHS utilizes Federal rulemaking.

As we saw last weekend in Minnesota, New York, and New Jersey, the threat picture is constantly evolving. Today, the threat of individuals acting alone, inspired online by foreign and domestic terrorist groups, is arguably one of the greatest homeland security challenges we face. Our government needs to be able to respond to evolving threats like the ``lone wolf'' threat.

I am alarmed to see that, under this bill, critical action by the Department of Homeland Security could be indefinitely hamstrung, as protracted, possibly frivolous, legal challenges move through the courts. From a homeland security standpoint, there is no justification for putting arbitrary obstacles in the way of DHS when it needs to issue regulations to protect critical infrastructure from infiltration by terrorists, keep dangerous materials out of terrorists' hands, and secure the border, yet the underlying bill would do just that.

Mr. Speaker, my motion to recommit would provide for an exception to the rule in instances that ``pertain to protecting the Nation against security threats.'' There are things we can do to make the country more secure, but it seems that the majority lacks the will to do so.

Earlier today, Democrats tried to get legislation to bar individuals on the no-fly terrorist watch list from buying guns considered. The majority blocked the legislation.

Then we tried to get considered a measure that I authored to expand DHS' overseas screening and vetting operations to protect ISIL-trained European foreign fighters and other dangerous people from entering the United States. This measure was blocked, too.

This morning, Mr. Speaker, in my committee, we received testimony from prominent law enforcement officials about how the availability of firearms put their officers and the citizens they protect in harm's way. In fact, Mr. Speaker, the Austin, Texas, police chief testified that police chiefs are ``haunted'' by the threat posed by the ``widespread availability of firearms in our country,'' which ``makes it possible for potentially dangerous persons to legally acquire weapons to cause mayhem and colossal casualties.''

To this point, this past weekend, in a St. Cloud, Minnesota, mall, 10 people, including a pregnant woman, were stabbed by a young man who is believed to have been radicalized by ISIL. Thankfully, all the injured individuals are expected to recover.

These days, it is not too hard to imagine the carnage that could have been inflicted on this innocent population if the assailant had, instead, entered the mall with an AK-47 assault weapon and large- capacity clips.

This Congress must show leadership on the pressing homeland security challenges to the Nation. Standing in the way of the Department of Homeland Security, as it tries to protect our citizens, is the wrong thing to do.

For these and a number of other reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to vote ``aye'' on my motion to recommit.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

A recorded vote was ordered.

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