DHS Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4555, the DHS Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4555 authorizes DHS personnel to participate in overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces. Since the attacks of September 11 and the demise of central al-Qaida, there has been an upsurge in the number of foreign terrorist organizations. The terrorist threat picture demands that DHS work to ``push our borders out'' and deal with terrorist threats overseas. As such, it is important that DHS deploy DHS personnel overseas to engage in counterterrorism information sharing with international partners.

Our close partnerships with countries around the world, especially in Europe, are essential to preventing returning foreign fighters from attacking the U.S. homeland. However, we remain concerned that terrorist organizations, in particular, ISIS, al-Qaida, and their affiliates, continue to plot attacks against the U.S. homeland and our interests abroad.

Authorizing the participation of DHS personnel in overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces will facilitate better counterterrorism information sharing, which will help protect the homeland and U.S. interests abroad. As such, I support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, H.R. 4555 authorizes the participation of DHS personnel in overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces. This measure seeks to help safeguard our homeland by fostering DHS overseas partnerships and facilitating counterterrorism information sharing.

I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford) for sponsoring this legislation and for working with me on my amendment, which added reporting language on the activities authorized by this measure.

This is an important step forward and, again, I might emphasize, the work that is being done between the ranking member, Mr. Thompson, and the full committee chair, Mr. McCaul, in bringing our committee together in producing a myriad of constructive legislation all geared to our task, because, when all is said and done, we are the Homeland Security Committee within the Homeland Security Department, created in the aftermath of the most heinous, horrific tragedy in the history of the United States of recent recollection that was not an incident of war.

Therefore, I think the American people, and I know the American people are owed our diligence and are owed our commitment and are owed our studiousness. I am very pleased to say that, on this committee, the production of legislation that comes to the floor, all is geared to securing the homeland.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4555.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4555, the ``DHS Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017.''

H.R. 4555 authorizes DHS personnel to participate in overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces.

Since the attacks of September 11th and the demise of central al Qaeda, there has been an upsurge in the number of foreign terrorist organizations.

The terrorist threat picture demands that DHS work to ``push our borders out'' and deal with terrorist threats overseas.

As such, it is important that DHS deploy DHS personnel overseas to engage in counter-terrorism information sharing with international partners.

Our close partnerships with countries around the world, especially in Europe, are essential to preventing returning foreign fighters from attacking the U.S. homeland.

However, we remain concerned that terrorist organizations, in particular ISIS, al Qaeda, and their affiliates, continue to plot attacks against the U.S. homeland and our interests abroad.

Authorizing the participation of DHS personnel in overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces will facilitate better counterterrorism information sharing, which will help protect the homeland and U.S. interests abroad.

I thank the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Rutherford, for sponsoring this legislation and for working with me on my amendment which added reporting language on the activities authorized by this measure.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4555.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4555) to authorize the participation in overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces of personnel of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as terrorists and foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria seek to return home or travel to other regions in the wake of the defeat of ISIS on the battlefield, cooperation among U.S. military, national security, and law enforcement agencies is vital.

When these fighters move from the Middle East to the West or other regions, information collection and tracking becomes extremely difficult, especially when ensuring that all relevant Federal agencies have access to the same critical information. An enhanced, whole-of- government effort to share information and intelligence related to these fighters and their movements would improve security of the homeland.

In order to achieve this, H.R. 4555 authorizes the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to assign DHS personnel to overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces to facilitate the sharing of counterterrorism information and combat threats stemming from overseas sources of conflict or terrorism. This will enable DHS to build on existing initiatives to colocate DHS personnel with other Federal departments and agencies that play a crucial role in the fight against terrorism.

For example, assigning DHS personnel to the Department of Defense locations would facilitate better collection and sharing of information recovered from those conflict zones, which significantly improves our ability to interdict terrorists before they enter our country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for her very commonsense amendment to this bill, which made it stronger and better, and I do appreciate the bipartisan work on that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the following cost estimate for H.R. 4555, the DHS Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office was not made available to the Committee at the time of filing of the legislative report.

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, January 26, 2018.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has

prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4555, the DHS

Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be

pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark

Grabowicz.

Sincerely,

Keith Hall, Director.

Enclosure.

H.R. 4555--DHS Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017

As passed by the House of Representatives on January 9, 2018

H.R. 4555 would authorize Customs and Border Protection in

the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assign personnel

to participate in overseas interagency task forces to combat

the threat of terrorism. DHS is currently carrying out

activities similar to those that would be authorized by the

act; thus, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 4555 would

not significantly affect spending by DHS.

Enacting H.R. 4555 would not affect direct spending or

revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4555 would not increase

net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four

consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.

H.R. 4555 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz.

The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy

Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.