NATIONAL SECURITY

NATIONAL SECURITY

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 3 (Tuesday, January 7, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 7, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S37-S38] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NATIONAL SECURITY Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I rise today to talk about the threats to America's security and our Republican effort to fight back. On New Year's Day, 14 Americans were killed in a heartbreaking, deadly act of terrorism. Dozens of our fellow Americans were seriously injured as well in the carnage. These are people who were just celebrating the new year. Their attacker was a terrorist. He flew an ISIS flag. It was off the back of his truck. As a result of the terrorist attack, he destroyed families, destabilized a community, and broke the hearts of so many, many Americans. The shock of this attack is matched only by the urgency of the message that it sends to our country. The message is this: It is time to restore America's security and America's strength. Lives depend upon it. To keep America safe, we need to refocus our government on the priorities that matter to the people of this Nation. We have seen this in realtime in terms of the danger of the distorted priorities of the last administration. Their priorities were a wide open border, a woke Pentagon leader, a weaponized and distracted FBI, a feckless foreign policy, and, of course, a weak President. The current President's absence of leadership has made America and the world less safe. In 4 short years, our enemies have been emboldened; they have grown stronger; they are more aggressive; and they are more dangerous. America once worked to deny terrorists a safe haven. Now the terrorist strongholds are back. Today, terrorists control Afghanistan. They control parts of Syria. They attack American troops from bases in Yemen. And this is only part of it. Today, we face a serious security situation right here inside the United States. The New Orleans terrorist appears to have been radicalized while here in America. Over the past 4 years, over 300 individuals on the Terror [[Page S38]] Watchlist--our own Nation's Terror Watchlist--have crossed into our country boldly and illegally. Those 300, they are just the ones that we know about. We also know that Iran--the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism--is actively funding anti-Jewish protests on our college campuses. President Biden did nothing. Instead of showing strength, he kept our borders open and continued to ignore Iran's aggression. Weakness in the White House put us here. Returning to strength will help lead us out. In 13 days, our weak and wavering President will be replaced by a President who is respected for strength and for boldness. We have seen failure up close. Americans will now get a very good look at what strong leadership looks like once again. President Trump and Senate Republicans will act for Americans' safety. The Senate is going to work to confirm President Trump's strong nominees through a fair and speedy process. It is important for the President to have his national security team in place as quickly as possible. Especially right now, personnel is policy, and President Trump's team is ready to act. The President's nominees are not a return to business as usual. No, not at all. They are motivated. They are skilled. They are committed to the safety and security of every American. Our national security depends on confirming them. The New Orleans attack proves it. To my colleagues, I would remind each and every one of them that the Senate's power of advice and consent is no excuse to delay and deny or to try to search and destroy. Last month, a sleeping woman in New York City was set on fire in the subway. She died. Her killer was an illegal immigrant. He was deported under President Trump and snuck back into this country under President Biden. Since 2023, he has lived--this illegal immigrant criminal murderer--in taxpayer-funded shelters here in this country. That is what we have seen the last 4 years. The current President's actions invited and allowed 10 million people to cross into our country illegally. Our cities are overrun and overwhelmed. It was weak border policies that got us here, put us in this position, and it is strong border policies that are going to get us back to safety. That means funding a border wall, deporting illegal immigrant criminals, and restoring successful policies such as ``Remain in Mexico.'' Our goal is to empower President Trump to enforce the law. Republicans are also going to work to restore deterrence through strength and then what we have seen as the politicization of our military. Without a military focused on lethality, we can't be strong. If these actions are taken, peace and safety, security and strength are not just possible, they will be coming very soon. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________