Mike Lee

The budget request for fiscal year 2016 highlights the need to continue the defense rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region

I believe it is especially important for our NATO allies to increase their defense budgets and collective capabilities as a deterrent to Russian aggression.

One of the first acts you would undertake as Secretary would be to review the President's current strategy to defend the nation from an ISIS threat.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks to each of you for being here, and thanks for all you do to keep our country safe.

Do either of you believe that a meeting with a client in a foreign country presents an urgent humanitarian reason or a significant benefit to the American public?

The government does not have unlimited power under the immigration code to grant parole, does it?

Right. That is the whole concept of advanced parole, at least what I am talking about, is being told prior to your departure you leave, you come back, you will be treated as parole.

USCIS, if I am not mistaken, treats advanced parole as parole for purposes relevant to adjustment of status.

It makes it a high priority.

Finding a long term, mandatory funding source for PILT is very important.

My personal view is that it's got to be a high priority, and while you've got a lot of priorities to manage it's a difficult thing.

The mission in Afghanistan that we have, as stated in the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force there, was, of course, to use force against all nations, organizations, and individuals deemed to have been involved in the…

You feel good about the improvement that's been made over the last 5 years on that front.

[The Taliban] are not taking territory or meeting any strategic goals that they set out for themselves initially. They are going to take a district and they are going to lose it. They are going to take another district center and lost it…

The three key tasks in the national security documents that are out there is to assure our allies, deter opponents, and if necessary, fight and win on the ground.

One of the concerns that I have heard repeatedly from servicemembers in Utah and elsewhere is that they feel inadequately informed by military leadership about some of the persistent threats against themselves.

In the coming months, I hope our military leaders and Congress can work together and work in an efficient, effective manner to figure out how we can better protect our men and women in uniform from these types of attacks in the future.

I want to first join my colleagues in condemning the deplorable attacks against our servicemembers in Chattanooga last week.

The negative influence of Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) on security and the rule of law

I am concerned about the security of our borders

The security along our southern border and the migration crisis were existential threats to U.S. national security

The P5+1 negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program have passed two deadlines for a final deal

What will you do to ensure that the weapons and training we supply are not used by or to the advantage of ISIS and other extremist forces that share a common enemy with the groups we are supporting in Syria?

How would you define success in this program, and specifically what do you view as the timeline for achieving success?

Ultimately, the solution to overcome sectarian divisions must come from the leaders and communities within the region. No amount of U.S. investment alone will be sufficient.