Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4627, the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act. Mr. Speaker, the tactics and targets of terrorist organizations are ever changing. Most recently, ISIL-inspired groups have called for jihadists to use vehicles to carry out attacks on so-called soft targets like shopping malls, mass transit centers, and other places where people gather. ISIL has claimed credit for 21 vehicular terrorist attacks in major cities like Berlin, Nice, London, and Barcelona. These attacks have also hit closer to home, including in October 2017 in New York City, when a terrorist used a rented pickup truck to mow down pedestrians on a popular bike path, killing eight and injuring 13. In light of the elevated terror environment, H.R. 4627 would direct the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to conduct research on emerging and evolving terrorist threats, like vehicular attacks. The bill would also provide flexibility for homeland security grant funding to be used for securing public spaces through target-hardening activities, including the installation of bollards. Additionally, I am pleased that the bill includes key language authored by my friend Representative Val Demings, the gentlewoman from Florida, to codify a current Department practice that prohibits the use of grant funding to purchase firearms or for training on the use of firearms. Mr.…”