Washington,
December 6, 2015
|
Mary Carpenter
(202-834-0386)
Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (Ga-01) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s address this evening.
“Words must be backed by decisive action and an unyielding resolve to rid the earth of this scourge. I remain unconvinced that this Administration has either. The President is wasting time when trying to reason with the irrational or fighting for moral high ground with people who lack morals.
“We can either fight ISIS and groups over there or we can fight them here. I know where I want the fight to take place and I call on the President to allow our military leaders to create a strategy to accomplish the task. Congress stands ready to provide them with the resources they need.
“The attack in San Bernardino makes clear that terrorist networks will exploit our immigration system to plant extremists. I will continue fighting to shut off refugee resettlement for those from the conflict areas and tighten immigration screening until the Administration puts in place better screening measures to ensure we are not risking the safety and security of the American people.
“Those trying to exploit this tragedy to advance their anti-gun agenda under the guise of protecting the American people are misguided. France has some of the most stringent gun laws in the world yet Paris happened. California has some of the most stringent gun laws in our country yet San Bernardino happened. Disarming law abiding American citizens will have the same benefit to our homeland security as the Paris climate talks.”
As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Carter has been working with colleagues on the committee to address the situation and will continue to focus on protecting our homeland from potential threats. Carter cosponsored H.R. 2899, the Countering Violent Extremism Act of 2015, and assisted in passing this legislation through the House Committee on Homeland Security. This legislation establishes within the Department of Homeland Security the Office for Countering Violent Extremism to support efforts to counter violent extremism.
He also sent a letter to both President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry urging the administration to immediately halt admissions of refugees from the conflict areas into the United States. Click here to view or download a copy of the letter.
