Joe Pitts: “We know that the best way to prevent an attack on U.S. soil is to ensure that terrorists are stopped before they reach…”

“We know that the best way to prevent an attack on U.S. soil is to ensure that terrorists are stopped before they reach our shores. Unfortunately, we failed to do so on Christmas Day and al Qaeda came close to significant victory. While the terrorist Abdulmutallab was noted in a terrorist identity database, he was not placed on a separate screening database and his U.S. visa was not revoked. Clearly, we did not connect the dots to notice that a man on a U.S. watch list also held a current U.S. visa. This has not been the first time terrorists have obtained U.S. visas. Several of the 9/11 hijackers did so as well. We need to strengthen the visa application process. We need to streamline the intelligence gathering and sharing process. We need to end the visa lottery. We need to ensure that terrorists are turned around before they get to the airport before they even attempt to go through security. Were it not for the quick action of passengers on that flight, 288 innocent lives would have been lost. Passengers should not have to rely on last-minute heroics in order to travel safely. This administration must get serious about addressing this problem.”