Peter King

Thank you very much, Commissioner. Thank you for your efforts.

I would like to thank the Ranking Member, Ms. Kathleen Rice, for joining me and holding this important meeting.

I really have to oppose these cuts now.

During today's hearing, we will focus on terror groups operating in and across North Africa, their intent to attack the United States and their capability to do so.

This is the logic of this ban, it doesn't make sense.

The idea that it should be zeroed out, it doesn't make sense because sometimes it is misspent.

I think, in the long term, is a terrible idea.

I think the Pentagon itself is going to push back on some of this.

But just saying anybody from these countries is a potential terrorist, I think, is overdoing it.

I think in only three of those countries, we even have embassies. So, to me, that was the logic that went into those seven.

So at the same time that I believe trusting relationships with the people who live here are extremely important, it is also very important to have a good defense at our borders to keep out anybody who is intent on hurting our people.

The radicalization of our own people through the internet is an extreme problem that needs more robust defenses.

It is absolutely necessary to make progress as our adversaries will only continue to evolve.

We must have an aggressive, long-term strategy for addressing Islamic terrorist threat abroad and in the homeland.

Congressman King, I would like to point that one of the examples in my testimony actually involves a would-be jihadi in Queens who was in touch with an ISIS handler overseas in Syria and was getting instructions on how to carry out an…

Another idea is we should stay in Afghanistan.

OK, so an idea that would work is an idea actually proposed by Chairman King, which is the no-fly, no-buy idea.

A second bad idea... is the idea of banning or designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

It doesn't make any sense, because of the 94 Americans that have been killed by terrorists since 9/11...

The visa ban--the visa ban is a temporary ban from the seven Muslim majority countries is totally ineffective if you look at what has actually happened since 9/11.

Congressman, at the beginning of the hearing you said, rightly, that we haven't suffered another 9/11-scale-style attack in the United States and we can all be, of course, thankful for that.

I am concerned about proposals that would change the composition of the FOMC by removing the vice chairman position and the New York Fed's permanent voting status.

I commend you for what you are trying to do. I think it is essential and I think, again, a 90-day pause is--if that saves American lives, then it is certainly a pause worth taking.

I am calling on the Attorney General in supporting his efforts to fully prosecute WikiLeaks and its founder for violating the Espionage Act and I'm also calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to declare WikiLeaks a foreign terrorist…

It is time to stop engaging Muslim Brotherhood legacy groups and recognize their misogynist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, anti-American underpinnings.