The Isis Threat

Never has a terrorist organization occupied such a sanctuary. Never has such a terrorist organization had the access to the abundant natural resources that ISIL has at its disposal. Never has a terrorist organization possessed the heavy weaponry or the cash or the personnel that ISIL has today. And its brutality, of course, is unmatched. This committee, on a bipartisan basis, has been pushing the administration to confront this threat. For months I pressed the administration for drone strikes, as the terrorists columns advanced on Iraqi cities. That is what the Iraqis wanted, and it is what many in our Embassy in Baghdad wanted. Ranking Member Engel has been pushing to arm the Free Syrian Army. That is what the President's entire national security team wanted, including General David Petraeus, who headed the CIA at the time and frankly, the White House hesitancy on this has put us in a situation where ISIL has gained a lot of ground. The ISIL threat is a dramatic wakeup call. While some claim that the threats to the United States were receding, the reality is that a tidal wave of militancy is cresting here.