Trey Gowdy: “National security and public safety are the preeminent functions of government. National security and public safety are…”

“National security and public safety are the preeminent functions of government. National security and public safety are not simply factors to be considered in the administration of some broader policy objective. National security and public safety are the ultimate policy objectives. And the safety and security of our fellow citizens should be the driving force behind every decision that we make. This country, Mr. Speaker, has a long, proud, rich history of welcoming those fleeing persecution and liberating those suffering under oppression. We are the most welcoming, generous country in the world, having taken in over 3 million refugees since 1975. We are generous and compassionate, Mr. Speaker, because we are free. And we are free because we are a country rooted in the law and public safety and standards of decency protected by a fundamental commitment to national security. The world we currently find ourselves in, Mr. Speaker, is imperfect-- and becoming more imperfect. So, rather than address the underlying pathology that results in displaced people, this administration is focused on the symptoms. There are refugees from the Middle East and northern Africa because those regions are on fire and riddled with chaos. Our bright lines and policies of containment, smart power, or whatever we call it today, have failed. Mr. Speaker, terrorists took the lives of over 100 innocent people in France and injured many more because they could.…”