Chairman Poe Releases Strategy to Respond to Paris Attacks

Earlier this week, I introduced a House Resolution (H.Res525) urging the Administration to work with the NATO member states to invoke Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty in response to the Paris attacks. Article 5 signifies that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all and requires a joint response from all NATO members. In addition, I renewed my calls for the Senate to pass my bill, the FTO Passport Revocation Act (H.R.237) which passed the House in July.

Invoke Article 5

Friday night’s deadly attack on the City of Lights proves that ISIS aggression has spread from the Middle East to the sleeping West. Just weeks before they blew up a Russian airplane. They have vowed to come to America next. President Obama is wrong—ISIS is not contained. The Paris attacks will be just the beginning if we do not change course. This is our fight, but not our fight alone. America should take the lead and urge a joint response as a body of nations. Invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty paves the way for a truly joint and international response to ISIS. All 28 NATO nations need to join the war against our common enemy. The President’s policy of containment has failed. The time to act is now, not after American blood is shed in our homeland.

Revoke Passports for turned Americans

Friday’s attacks in Paris prove that the President is wrong. ISIS is not contained; they along with other foreign terrorist organizations are spreading their murderous rampage worldwide. The threat to America from these groups has never been greater. But some of our own citizens have travelled to the terrorist hotbeds in Syria and beyond to fight for the other side. These Benedict Arnold traitors who have turned against America and joined the ranks of foreign radical terrorist armies should lose all rights afforded to our citizens.

The FTO Passport Revocation Act would authorize the revocation or denial of passports to individuals affiliated with Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). This will help law enforcement locate these individuals by making it easier to flag the individuals who are trying to travel internationally. Most importantly, this legislation will help prevent turned Americans from coming back to the United States undetected.

The House has now acted to locate and contain these traitors. It’s time for the Senate to quickly do the same. These people are not returning to America to open coffee shops; they are coming back to kill. Let’s stop them from coming back at all.”

Syrian Refugees

At least one of the Paris attackers came to Europe disguised as a Syrian refugee. Despite this fact, President Obama still wants to let thousands of Syrian refugees into the United States. FBI Director Comey recently testified to Congress that the federal government does not have the background information necessary to effectively conduct proper security checks on Syrian nationals. Congress should immediately take action to support states so that they are not forced to take refugees who may pose a security risk. I support Governor Abbott’s decision to oppose the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Texas due to serious security concerns and the inability to fully vet the refugees. Congress should move to immediately defund the resettlement program.