Jeff Landry: “I rise as a proud member of the Tea Party. I opposed the debt ceiling. I opposed some of the CRs. I opposed our…”

“I rise as a proud member of the Tea Party. I opposed the debt ceiling. I opposed some of the CRs. I opposed our involvement in Libya. I'm a strict constructionist when it comes to the Constitution. When I joined this body, I raised my hand to God and swore to uphold the Constitution and protect it from all threats both foreign and domestic. I am a veteran. With this oath, my duty to protect our citizens' liberties is matched by my duty to protect their lives. That is exactly what the text of this bill, when combined with this amendment, does. It ensures that every American has access to our courts and ensures that they will not be indefinitely detained. Equally important, our amendment does not harm our Armed Forces' ability to protect this Nation. Unfortunately, some in this body choose to believe that our soil here is not a battlefield in a war on terror. They want to treat the al Qaeda cell in Seattle differently or better than the al Qaeda cell in Yemen. To yield to these Members to adopt their view does nothing to protect the liberties of our citizens. It only harms their safety. For that reason, I urge them to adopt this amendment.”