Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4564) to require a threat assessment on current foreign terrorist fighter activities, and for other purposes.

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, today I rise to offer for consideration H.R. 4564, the Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017, for House consideration.

The Homeland Security Committee's Task Force on Denying Terrorist Entry into the United States, which I am a member of, spent the last year taking a deeper look at how terrorist organizations and lone-wolf attackers are entering the nations they are targeting. One of the most concerning issues that the task force learned is that an estimated 40,000 foreign fighters traveled to ISIS-occupied territories to join a force of over 100,000 radical Islamic terrorists.

Through major victories by anti-ISIS forces, the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria has been mostly defeated as a whole, driving these terrorists into hiding. Many thousands of these battle-trained jihadists are now unidentified and their location is unknown. The United States is a primary target.

Of particular concern for the United States are those fighters seeking to return to Europe or the U.S. These fighters may seek to exploit direct flights to the United States as well as the Visa Waiver Program.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is about ensuring that we have the best possible data to defeat this threat. Specifically, my bill would direct the Secretary of DHS, in coordination with the Secretary of State and Director of National Intelligence, to conduct a threat assessment of current foreign terrorist fighter activity and report their findings to Congress. It would also ensure that Congress and the Executive gain better clarity on foreign terrorist travel and trends post-caliphate, which will strengthen our defenses as the diaspora unfolds.

Before closing, I would like to thank task force Chairman Gallagher, Representative Katko, committee Chairman McCaul, bipartisan members of the Homeland Security Committee, and other members of the task force and their staffs for the hard work put in over the last year to make the report we issued this past December a reality.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of this commonsense legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4564-- Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017.

This legislation would direct the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of State, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to perform a threat assessment of current foreign terrorist fighter activities. This multi-agency assessment will include a breakdown of any country or region with a substantial increase in foreign terrorist fighter activity, travel and trends of terrorist movement, and an analysis of travel trends in and out of Iraq and Syria.

To successfully continue the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), our government agencies must understand the current terrorist threat. This conflict is complex and ISIS has lost a significant amount of territory in their self-declared caliphate, while anti-ISIS fighters have successfully regained control of the cities of Mosul and Raqqa. After these recent victories for the anti-ISIS forces in Northern Iraq and Syria, the enemy has dispersed across the region. The anti-ISIS victories have been essential to reestablishing order in the conflict zone, but unfortunately present new challenges in defeating the terrorist group. Shifts in power have caused ISIS to disperse into countries that border Syria and Iraq, such as Libya, Afghanistan, and Turkey, in order to evade total defeat. Recent reports on the whereabouts of fleeing ISIS fighters have varied, prompting the need for a post-caliphate threat assessment.

As a former member of the House Armed Forces Committee, I understand well the complexity of this conflict. By creating this assessment for our intelligence and defense agencies we will provide them with the proper tools to fight ISIS and current terrorist threats. We must continue to update our intelligence as the war against ISIS goes on and forces hide, recuperate, and go underground. Some terrorist fighters have been believed to migrate to neighboring countries, others have relocated to their homes, and members of this group might even be seeking to return to Europe or the U.S. Keeping track of this terrible enemy will be of the utmost importance and H.R. 4564 will help us assess this threat and will bolster our arsenal to combat terror abroad.

Mr. Speaker, the following cost estimate H.R. 4564, the Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment 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.

Congressional Budget Office,

U.S. Congress,

Washington, DC, January 18, 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. 4564, the Post-

Caliphate Threat Assessment 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. 4564--Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017

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

H.R. 4564 would require the Department of Homeland Security

(DHS) to prepare a threat assessment related to the current

activities of foreign terrorist fighters, including

information on the travel patterns and countries of origin

for such persons. The act would require DHS, within 180 days

of enactment, to report to the Congress on the results of the

assessment. Using information from DHS, CBO estimates that

implementing the act's provisions would cost less than

$500,000; such spending would be subject to the availability

of appropriated funds.

Enacting H.R. 4564 would not affect direct spending or

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

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4564 would not increase

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

consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.

H.R. 4564 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.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 4564, the Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017. The Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act requires the DHS to conduct an intelligence threat assessment of foreign fighter activities.

With the military defeat of ISIL's caliphate, we are concerned about the threat of foreign terrorists returning to the West. While the vast majority of foreign fighters originated from Russia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, about 20,000 foreign fighters traveled to Iraq and Syria from at least 110 countries. We must address foreign fighters who are ready to return home. We must stay abreast of their movements and stop them from coming to the United States.

Requiring DHS to conduct a threat assessment of current foreign fighter activities will help DHS to continue to focus on travel screening on the risk-based dangers that we face. Let's focus our policies on preventing terrorism by keeping dangerous individuals from coming to this country.

H.R. 4564 requires a detailed report by the Secretary of Homeland Security, coordinating with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, on foreign fighter movements to help DHS focus on preventing their activities.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this measure. I want to thank Mr. Higgins for this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Monday, January 8, and Tuesday, January 9, 2018, due to a family emergency.

If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows:

On the Quorum Call for establishing a quorum in the House of Representatives for the Second Session of the 115th Congress, I would have answered ``present.''

On H. Res. 676, supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression, condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``yea.''

On H.R. 4564, the Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017, I would have voted ``yea.''

On H.R. 4581, the Screening and Vetting Passenger Exchange Act of 2017, I would have voted ``yea.''