On the recordJanuary 5, 2016
ISIS fighters hail from nations all over the world, including the United States. Americans who go to fight the jihadists overseas are able to freely travel back to the United States with their U.S. passports. These homegrown jihadists are not coming back home to open up coffee shops. They are coming home to harm Americans. We have to stop them by keeping them from coming back at all. That is why the United States House passed the Foreign Terrorist Organization Passport Revocation Act, which I introduced. The legislation is simple: revoke or deny passports of Benedict Arnold Americans who have assisted designated foreign terrorist organizations. Not only will the bill help law enforcement locate these individuals, it will prevent them from entering the United States at all. While my bill languishes down the hall in the Senate, Congress did pass a law allowing for the revocation of passports for Americans who are delinquent on their taxes. Mr. Speaker, what is a bigger threat to America and our national security? Tax offenders or terrorists? Congress must get its priorities straight. It is time for the Senate to pass the House bill and revoke passports of members of foreign terrorist organizations who may or may not be tax cheats. And that is just the way it is. ____________________
