Transcripts For CSPAN Key Capitol Hill Hearings 20160622

Wonderful, discussing all the ways they are perverting islam warhe way they are waging and taking advantage of our political failures in terms of how we are gaining territory. So this is not a clash of civilizations. Islams people perverting and taking advantage of political realities. So i just want to get from you you said this already and i want to go one step deeper specifichat are the tactics to sort of expose isil for the perversions they are doing . What are the best ways to go about that . Thank you, senator. I really believe in the common narrative. That is very important. When i started to do this less than a year ago, i realized there was no very articulate, clearcut counter narrative. How does islam deal with issues of plurality, citizenship . All of these things have been argued by 200 years but are unknown to the vast majority of muslims. The principles daesh claim as the bones of modernity have been dealt with already. It is based on the primary sources, which are important i have to interrupt you, doctor. I have to be mindful of my time. I want to say to mr. Nahas and ms. Murad, your testimony was so courageous and moving. The outrageous attacks going on against lgbt people in the middle east and the United States, which as you point out in your testimony, is the most common form of hate crime, i am grateful for your courage. It is so profound. I am grateful you would come here and share your story. Thank you so much. Thank you, senator. I want to pick up on senator langfords and senator bookers line of questioning. Right now in terms of success or lack of success against it . There is a state department report, very difficult numbers. Theyre changing all the time. When i looked at and did a calculation of the number of People Killed in terrorist attacks prior to 9 11, it is a little under 5000. 6, sevengrown 5, times. This is a growing threat. Isis news reports show that isisinspired attacks cost 191 ,000 lives the last two years. I realize we have made some progress. We have taken back territory. They still control territory. The analysis im using is that of a beehive in your backyard. Stick, poke it with a but you are stirring up a hive. Is that what we are witnessing . We have to defeat isis. We have to deny them the caliphate. But we have a lot of mopping up to do. These terrorist groups are spreading, evolving, metastasizing. It is like a cancer. We are not winning this battle. I come from the position that isis and al qaeda are growing and there will be other groups that join them. Their territories expanding for the next decade or two. Ishink at this moment, isis being rolled back and defeated territorially. Iraq, they lost 50 of their territory. In syria, 20 of their territory. Libya, they are on the back foot. They are struggling to establish any presence. Al qaeda is doing well in yemen. They are not doing well in afghanistan. Capacity is limited. However, i believe the ability to inflict damage is strong. They benefit from the open space on the internet, the selfradicalization. You can become self radicalized by watching a video by an american citizen. It is easy to become one of them. The radicalization is the sort swift. They can push a person in a short time to do damage. It is hard to predict, but it is there. Gains inanswer, the syria and iraq does it give you much comfort . You think they are growing in strength over the next decade or two . That is good. The problem is the political track, the social, religious, political process in iraq and syria, is lagging behind. If they catch up to the military advances, isis will go away for a while. For now, the focus is on military. Dotor, i want to shift to the Muslim Brotherhood. It is often reported as a more moderate group. Do you have any thoughts on the Muslim Brotherhood . A lot of thoughts. I think that goes back to what i was trying to say, the concept of the spectrum. Some islamic groups, while of them are on the left of the spectrum, not open a violence, there are procedural changes where violence would be authorized. Look what happened in egypt, my home country. I am always utterly shocked at ging our government is with organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood, quite frankly. I spoke to people at the embassy in cairo. Why dont you engage with Muslim Leaders . They gave me a dropdown list of all these activists. There is a big mismatch. By engaging with them so openly and freely, we almost legitimize that approach. So i think it is dangerous. I think it is definitely on the spectrum. Necessarily necessity that it goes from one end to the other. Sen. Carper . We thank each of you for being with us today, spending this time with us, sharing your thoughts. Your advice as well. A question. Art with i would invite other witnesses to respond. Testimony, you wrote that the United States must highlight the war with isis is not a sectarian conflict. Can point out there are muslims the isl sunni is am fighting isis. That said, some people in the u. S. Are trying to paint this as a clash between the west and islam. I think our president made it clear he believes this kind of rhetoric is dangerous and plays into the hand of isis. Do you agree with this . I agree this is not a sectarian war. It is not war islam versus west. War is all, the about muslims versus muslims. This is what the ideology is built on. Practically speaking, the way has ideology of isis was ad and become framed reaction to the events that happened after the iraq war, not the iraq war itself. How the sunnis reacted to the presence of americans on the ground. They started to appropriate events to the context that is going on. It was not at all about the west. It is about what is going on on the ground. Thank you. Is do youe question agree that pretraining this war playsar against islam into the hands of isis . If anything, the victim of isil is islam itself. They have definitely declared war on our scholars, our tradition. That is the biggest tragedy. Allies are best people like me. My life is threatened by being here, speaking out against this. I do not take that lightly. End. Lly want this to i want to know what i can do to push that forward. In that desire is the greatest ally we have to counter the rhetoric and the ideas coming out of isil. Thank you. Mr. Nahas . I do not have the capacity to answer this question. Nadia, do you want to respond to that question . Do you believe painting this war against islam plays into the hands of isis . By pretraining this as a war against islam . [speaking foreign language] the first thing i did, i went to egypt to deliver that message. The things that happened to me, i wanted to go to this country and tell them what happened. [speaking foreign language] i want to prevent the youth from joining Islamic State. I told them what crimes were committed. Yoanted to stop the flow of uth to them. Is notking against this help for daesh. You have to speak against it. [speaking foreign language] also minimizing the role of daesh for the power is not right. Miles, andthan 3000 they protect it all. Tens of thousands are fighting for them. [speaking foreign language] some of our villages are only 150 people. We have nothing to recapture these villages. How about big cities . It is not a small power. [speaking foreign language] speaking against isis does not mean speaking against islam and also does not mean speaking in favor of sunni or shia. When we speak against this, we are united. My time is expired. Arechairman, you and i supporting legislation that would strengthen the ability of the department of Homeland Security to reach out to faith communities, civic groups, to prevent isis from recording of americans. If i could just have 30 seconds and ask, what advice would you have for the department of Homeland Security as they put out put together this outreach . Just maybe one strong piece of advice for Homeland Security. Work with us. Thank you. I will givearper, the witnesses to issue a closing statement. Nadia, who helped you escape . [speaking foreign language] a muslim family. I think that answers your question. Doctor, you said help us, basically, help you. We are looking at specific efforts that would be going on to activate lone wolves in the United States, cells in belgium and france. This is a part of the war that obviously has western countries right where they are being , where citizens of those countries and american citizens are finding the perversion of islam so compelling they are willing to take up arms against fellow citizens in europe or the United States of america. We are clearly doing a lot already to empower local organizations in our communities, working with mos ques and panels where folks have given testimony. We have allocated more resources for that. I have been one of the folks saying that effort should not be Law Enforcementfocused. They should be focused on empowering neighborhoods and networks. It will nots cbe, help deal with the core of the problem. You pointed out so clearly that this is a perversion of islam. This is not islam we are fighting against. Elis is people using it to fu ,atred for political objectives to control territory and expand the reach of their totalitarian ends. My concern is i think we need to be doing more. More, to counter that narrative. I liked what you said in one of your responses. Another 150page paper is not as effective against the memes you see online that seduce vulnerable souls to this type of terrorist activity. I understand your short answer to a short question, but i am trying to figure out the specific strategies. We are seeing some of them working. You expose the fact that isil is killing far more muslims, far more sunnis, than people in the west. Soreally begins to expose that young people who might be susceptible see them for who they are, naked before their eyes. Those are the strategies we need to invest in more. In the two minutes i left you in a threeminute preamble, can you go to the core of those things . Where would you be placing those dollars . We have a very successful model in Montgomery County called the brave model, a Publicprivate Partnership. It is a really good program. It is Given National recognition. We are trying to export this model, train other counties in the country that need this message. I do a lot of the counter narrative. I would love to be in a position where i can train other Muslim Leaders in this country and counterparts in western europe. I did the research. I am happy for them to take it and say they did it. I am happy for people just to get the message out. I also mentor people. People that might be on the spectrum that are referred to us by Law Enforcement, the school board. There is no capacity for local government to deal with them and talk with them. I try to decipher is there a problem . Is it a Mental Health issue . Then i try to refer them to programs that will help them. This Publicprivate Partnership is working in our county. If i had some say in the purse strings, i would like to be in a the countiesrain that need it the most, and go overseas to cities like brussels, london, and work with counterparts to train them in this model. That is a proactive strategy. It would save a lot of money on reaction with Law Enforcement or something happening. Today, your testimonies have been testimonies of courage. You are risking your life by coming here, by speaking truth, evil that wee the are up against. For that, i am deeply grateful. Thank you, senator booker. You are right. Of people of the evil threatening someone speaking the truth. I would like to make a final comment. You will start with you. Covered most of it. I want to emphasize that we all s, what it doesi to the people it claims to represent. These are emphasize the victims as much as others are. That needs to be present in the media. It is not one persons or. It is war. It is everyones war. You get the harder questions because you have dr. In front of your name. Thank you for the opportunity to address the committee, submit testimony on something that is much more than work. This is something very personal. Of my children when i come here and how the rhetoric, even though they are young, the political rhetoric is something that scares them. I hope what we are doing here will build a more Resilient Alliance so the america they grow up in is better than the america i grew up in. Thank you, senators, for the opportunity to speak in front of you. Every time i have a chance to speak and talk about my experience, i think about my counterparts that are still in danger, that are still under threat because of because they are different, because they do not confirm with other peoples expectations. I hope the United States will take a stand and be more active in Holding Governments and other actors on the ground accountable for their actions and do something about this. Nadia . [speaking foreign language] you, and thank you for all the attendees and witnesses who came here. [speaking foreign language] i wish that we all can Work Together and stand up together to stop this terrorism. [speaking foreign language] i would like also for you to recognize our genocide and bring every single one from Islamic State, whether they are a leader or a soldier, to bring everyone of them to justice. We would love to see that. I do not have any more questions. I would just like to thank all of you. One of the Key Takeaways for me is we talk about the golden rule. Schools our children went to, there is bullying. In some cases, i remember a parent was aware bullying was going on. I remember going and speaking out to make sure that did not persist. I think we were successful. I applaud the folks of the , those who are speaking up at real risk to personal safety. I want to make sure you do not pay any price for that. That is a matter of concern. For the kids who are being bullied because they happen to i ama name like nahas, concerned about them. They somehow are paying the price as well. Advice, itiving them vocal, brave, speaking out against the abuses we see perpetrated by isis. Ask may be a hard thing to kids to do. End, theyk in the will be safer and will ultimately feel better about their situation. Thank you. I want to thank all the witnesses for your testimony, for your courage. Have accomplished our goal of helping us understand this better. We have a long way to go to fully understand this. You certainly helped. Thank you for your testimony and courage. The hearing record will remain open until july 6 at 5 00 p. M. For the submission of statements and questions the record. This hearing is adjourned. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] i am pleased that the body has come to this conclusion. In the senate will undoubtedly provide citizens with greater access and exposure to the actions of this body. This access will help all americans to be that are informed of the problems and the issues which face this nation on a day by day basis. During the election, i had the occasion of meeting a woman who had supported me in my campaign. She decided to come to shake my hand and take a photograph. A wonderful woman. She was not asking for anything. I was very grateful that she took the time to come by. Unexceptional moment 1894. She was born in she was an africanamerican woman born in the shadow of slavery, at a time when lynchings were commonplace, at a time when africanamericans and women could not vote. It took our country from the time of its founding until the mid1980s to build a national billion, the size of this socalled stimulus package when it came over. We are talking about real borrowed money. 30 years of coverage of the u. S. Senate on cspan2. Janet yellen will be on capitol hill for her second day in a row tomorrow, this time to update members of the House Financial Services committee on the current status of the economy and what Monetary Policy is doing to sustain recovery. Earlier today, she briefed members of the Senate Banking committee. Watch her testimony tomorrow live on cspan3. Attorney general Loretta Lynch traveled to orlando to meet with survivors and First Responders in last weeks mass shooting. Makeustice department will 1 million in emergency funding is available to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to help cover the cost of responding to the tragedy. Lynch spoke for about 20 minutes at a News Conference today. A. G. Lynch good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for being here. I am joined here today by the the district of florida, lee bentley. I am also joined by the fbi special agent in charge, the a guy assistant special agent in charge, and the atf assistant special agent in charge. By thenored to be joined orlando chief of police and Orange County sheriff. I thank them all for being here with me as well. I am here in orlando today to meet with our investigators and the state and local partners here on the ground and to support the people of this great city and all of those who have been affected by this devastated devastating tragedy. I am also here to reaffirm this administrations unshakable commitment to the safety of our citizens, the security of our nation, and the strength of our values. U. S. Er today, i met with attorney lee bentley and his staff, who were helping to coordinate the Justice Department participation in this ongoing investigation, which includes my colleagues at the f dei, atf, the National Security division, and the u. S. Attorneys offices here in florida. I have also visited with the family members of those who have been lost and wounded in this attack. This afternoon, i will also meet with state and local Law Enforcement and First Responders. I could not be more proud of all the members of the Orlando Community that i have met with and who are gathering to meet me here today. I have made clear that the department of justice stands with them. We are doing that in a number of ways. First, we are providing assistance to the First Responders and Law Enforcement officers as they age in the investigation of this heinous crime. In addition, the department of justice is making available 1 million in emergency funding, available to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The state will be able to apply for these funds on behalf of orlando and other affected jurisdictions to cover overtime costs for state and local responders. We will move quickly to make this award as soon as possible. We are also offering emergency counseling resources to First Responders to help them deal with the trauma that they have experienced. Because, in their bravery, they shoulder the dangers that are visited upon all of us. And they carry that weight long after the smoke has cleared to they will continue we will continue to make any and all Resources Available to them as the investigation unfolds. The department of justice is determined to do anything we can to help the community heal, to recover, and to become whole again. Our office for victims of crime have already worked with local state and federal officials and Community Groups to set up a Family Assistance Center service. Center, Service Providers are on the ground, providing crisis counseling and other critical support. We are also making federal emergency funds and Victim Compensation funding available to cover, for example, Family Travel expenses, medical and Mental Health expenses, and other costs related to this tragedy. We also have experts in Crisis Response on the scene to help with short and longterm planning to meet the needs of victims and the community. There is no doubt that this was a shattering attack on our nation, on our people, and on our most fundamental ideals. But the message of orlando goes far beyond one night of unspeakable terror. The message of orlando that i have seen today and what the American People have seen in the wake of this horrific assault is a message of determination to remove hatred and intolerance, to move our lives freely with to live our lives freely and without fear, and to stay true to liberty, justice, and the, which defines america at our best. I am deeply proud of the weight the federal, state, and local Law Enforcement officers and First Responders here have gone above and beyond the call of duty. I am so inspired by the strength and the resilience of the survivors and their loved ones. I am deeply moved by the way that this community and our National Community has stood together in support of one another, in defiance of terror, and in defense of our most cherished ideals. , those idealsr include the understanding that our diversity makes us stronger and that no matter who we are,hat we look like, who we are or who we love, this extraordinary nation longs to us all. I know that the judge ebt community, in particular, has been shaken by this attack. It is indeed a cruel irony that a community that is defined almost exclusively by who they love is so often a target of hate. Let me say to our friends and family, particularly to anyone who might view this tragedy as an indication that their identities, that their essential selves might somehow be better left unexpressed or in the shadows, this department of justice and your country stands with you in the light. We stand with you to say that the good in this world far outweighs the evil, that our common humanity transcends our differences and that are most Effective Response to terror and to hatred is compassion, unity, and love. We stand with you today as we grieve together. Long after the cameras are gone, we will continue to stand with you as we Grow Together in commitment, solidarity, and equality. Once again, i want to thank all of my colleagues for their outstanding work over this past week. I want to express my gratitude for all that they and our partners on the ground have done here and will continue to do to move our efforts forward. I want to pledge the ongoing support of the department of justice and the entire Obama Administration as we work to ensure the safety and security of all americans. Thank you all and at this point in time, i am happy to take a few questions. Let me start here and then i will go to the lady in the front. The fbi director said last week that the fbi was investigating. Looking at we are all of that. This individual came under investigation a few years ago himself because of his own actions and statements. He was investigated. We looked to see whether he would act to carry out the statements he was making. Did not find evidence at that time. He came under the radar again in the context of another investigation. He had traveled overseas to become a suicide bomber. He was interviewed then but was not directly involved in that matter. We are looking at all of our contacts with him and we are looking at people to look back at their contacts with him to determine what we could have done better. It is too early to say right now. We are looking at all of that. This lady here. [inaudible] do you have any idea of a better timeline as to when you will be charging or not charging . A. G. Lynch his investigation is active, local, and ongoing. We are seeking to talk to anyone mateen andy team might be able to shed light on his actions, motivations, anything about him. At this point, were not discussing other individuals except we are gathering as we can. At this point, were not going to provide that information at this time. The gentleman in the back and then the lady in the front. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch we have released a transcript of one of the 911 calls. When we have a situation like this, as we did in san bernardino, where the killer is deceased, we are able to provide more information than we are often able to do when the matter is being handled in court as part of an investigation. We are limited by the rules of evidence in court. So we are looking to be as transparent as possible and to provide as much information as possible. Over the course of time, we are open to that. I cannot tell you when or in what context. I can tell you that we are open to that. The lady in front. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch we are going to go back and look at all of our contact with him and to see if there is anything that we missed or could have indicated, the first investigation involved him and his own statements. The issue, as always, is the individual willing to act on any statements that might indicate violence . A full investigation was done there. Did notr investigation involve his own actions and did not indicate that he was headed towards a violent act. We are going to go back and look at all of that. I am going to come to this lady and then right behind you. At this point, we are still reconstructing all of that. As you can imagine, the experts are going through the club and have gathered a great deal of evidence. We are looking to get the answers to those questions. Because it is still under review, i do not have that information for you. You said 1 million is available in funds. The Obama Administration did deny why was that . A. G. Lynch i think you are referring to something for the ovando area, not the state. My understanding is that that involved the department of Homeland Securitys assessment. Another type of funding, i am not able to comment on that. I think we provided a great deal of assistance over the years. Just last year, there was a simulated exercise of an incident just like this that Law Enforcement in florida carried out in conjunction with federal authorities. A great way towards improving information and the like. I am going to go right behind you to this gentleman right here. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch we are not going to speak about anyone elses role in this right now. Right now, we are investigating the matter. We are not able to provide that conclusion at this point in time. We are trying to learn everything we can about mateen and all the people in his ambit in the days and months leading up to this attack. We are looking at everything. This gentleman here. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch there have been reports about that. There is a connection with another investigation. The shooter was interviewed about another matter. During the course of talking to agents, he mentioned that an individual came into his shop that he deemed to be someone suspicious. He did not make a purchase, did not by any, did not leave any id. It was only after the tragic events of last weekend that the gun shop owner realized through the individual was an provided that information as well. We commend him for that and we thank him for that. We are gathering all the information we can. Mateen did not make the purchase of his weapons at that gunshot. He went to a different gunshot and make the purchases of the weapons he used that night. You have already asked a question. Let me go to the lady right next to you and the gentleman in the blue shirt. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch we are gathering all information. I am not going to be able to give you a full readout on that because we are still processing everything. Sir. [inaudible] we are hoping to process the application to get the Law Enforcement funds out as quickly as possible. That would be 1 million that would help the Florida Department of Law Enforcement deal with orlandos needs and needs toisdictions cover overtime costs and issues here. We covering the emergency counselors for the victims and First Responders. Those will be ongoing. At this point in time, we are taking all information and. I believe that everyone is involved in trying to process the resources that we have sent out. If Additional Needs are identified, we will work to provide them. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch i am not going to be able to comment on those right now. We are still putting all that together. We do hope to provide as much information as possible. Im not able to give you that answer right now. [inaudible] can you confirm the existence of that video . A. G. Lynch that a gun range . Video of him using the assault rifle. A. G. Lynch i will have to ask the local investigators to confirm that with you. There is a lot of video out there it we are trying to provide as much information as we can. I will ask the local investigators to confirm that. Made in the last few moments. He apparently made a goodbye call. Do you know who the colors were the callers were . A. G. Lynch we are working to identify anyone he had contact with that night, including any phone contact, any electronic communication that he had. We are processing that information as well. I am going to go to this gel men here. Gentleman here. Could you comment on his interests as far as Law Enforcement . He had a job as a Security Guard and expressed an interest in joining Law Enforcement. With respect to his interest at gay clubs, that has been reported. We are following every need. I am not able to give you an exclusive answer at this time. Im going to go to this gentleman here. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch i dont have that information for you. I am sorry. Ultimately, we are trying to obtain the autopsy reports for everyone who lost their life. The victims will probably come first and ultimately his. Depending on the information there, we will see if we can release those. I dont know the answer to that at this point. There is a lady in the back. [inaudible] you look atwhenever someones motivation or intent, whether they are living or dead, you look at their actions and activities surrounding the event. You look at what they said and. Hat they did, how they behaved and you come up with the most reasonable interpretation, one that fits the facts. We do feel that as we continue to build a timeline and a we will be able to determine this. I cannot tell you definitively that we will ever narrow it down to one motivation. There is often more than one motivation. It was clearly an act of terror and hate. We will look at all motivations and hope to come to a conclusion there. I am going to go to someone who has not asked a question and then i will come back to you. I am not going to comment on whether a grand jury is being used. We do not comment on investigative techniques. We are looking at everything. I can tell you that. [inaudible] right now, i do not know exactly the answer to that. I believe she was going to travel, what i do not know that location. Here whoa young lady has not asked a question and a gentleman in the back who has not asked a question. This young lady. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch we dont know right now the trajectory of all the bullets that were used in the club. We are still reconstructing where all the bullets traveled and how all the victims died. It will be part of the information that will be made available to you. We do not have the answer because we have not finished that assessment. There is a down all the way in the back and in the back. A gentleman all the way in the back. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch we had spoken about forconcerns about homegrown quite sometime now. With all sorts of motivations and reasons for what they do. While the challenge is one that we will continue to investigate and continue to try and prevent, we try to identify individuals that are expressing certain views that might lead them to violence and determine when and are they looking to act on that . We are also asking people who know individuals to alert us to concerns that they may have. In many of the cases that we investigate, we find when we look back over the entire investigation that, at some point, someone was aware of a change or had a concern and noticed something out of the ordinary. We rely on the public and family members to a great extent. We also have to think about how do we deal with the fact that because we do have a free and open society and we have to have jihadistsat violent ideology is easily consumed by individuals who are led down the path to take certain actions. How do we break that chain . How do we interject some sort of point that leads them to a different path. We are looking at all those things. I wasy for those trying to get everyone who did not get to ask a question. I am sorry for those of you who didnt. [inaudible] a. G. Lynch we have expressed the departments support, in particular for the amendment that would give the department two very important tools. The ability to stop the sale of a gun to someone on the nofly list as well as the ability for the person to challenge that to litigate that matter in a way our secure and classified information. Those are the two concerns that we have had with that. We are grateful that congress is looking at addressing those concerns and trying to close this loophole for terrorists. Thank you. Thank you for joining us today. Have a great day. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] up, a Campaign Rally with Hillary Clinton in columbus, ohio. That is followed by a senate Homeland Security hearing on the ideology of isis. Then attorney general Loretta Lynch gives an update on the attack on the nightclub in orlando, florida. Later, three assistant secretaries of state discuss efforts to combat terror around the globe. Cspans washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Wednesday morning, California Democratic congressman Mike Thompson will join us to discuss the legislative strategy in the house to push gun control legislation in the wake of the orlando shooting. Washington examiner commentary atter Jason Russell looks Current Issues in the donald Trump Campaign, including fundraising and recent staff changes. And christina marcos, reporter for the hill, previews wednesdays meeting between Hillary Clinton at a house democrats. It is their first meeting since she became the presumptive nominee. Be sure to watch washington journal live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern on monday morning. Join the discussion. Democratic president ial candidate Hillary Clinton criticized donald trump is this practice is an economic policies at a Campaign Event in columbus, ohio, earlier today. The speech highlighted her plans for the economy. This is about 45 minutes. Secretary clinton wow, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank youall. Wow, thank you. Its wonderful to be back here in columbus. I want to thank whitney for not just her wonderful introduction but for all the hard work that she has done to build her career and the very strong endorsement that she has given to fort hayes career center. Everyone associated with fort hayes. I want to thank you [applause] secretary clinton this is exactly how we will create more good jobs with more opportunities for more people. And its exciting to be here in a place that does just that. I want to thank governor ted strickland, who i hope is soontobe senator ted strickland. [applause] secretary clinton chairman david pepper of the Ohio Democratic party, zach klein, president of the Columbus City council, john ogrady, president of Franklin County board of commissioners, and all of you for being here with me. I have to say i am pretty thrilled to be here for the first time speaking to any group like this as a grandmother of two now. [applause] secretary clinton it was an exciting weekend. Chelsea and mark had a little boy and were just truly over the moon. I have to confess. I talked so much about being a grandmother. Now im sure im going to be talking doubly about being a grandmother. New stories to tell. Its always great to be back in ohio. And i want to talk about a challenge that ohio families know well. Growing our economy and making it work for everyone, not just those at the top. For more than a year now, i have been listening to americans across our country. You have told me how the recession hit your communities. How jobs dried up. Home values sank. And savings vanished. And i have seen how hard you have worked to get back on your feet. If we have learned anything about the economy over the past 20 years, its that a president s economic decisions have real consequences for families. President obama was handed the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Thanks to his leadership and the hard work and resilience of the American People, we have seen more than 14 million private sector jobs created over the last 6 1 2 years. And here in ohio, the Auto Industry has made a strong comeback. [applause] secretary clinton and how appropriate as were here in the area where students learn about autos. Learn about how they are made and how they work. So we know people are working harder and longer. Just to keep their heads above water. And to deal with the costs, the everyday costs, the costs of basics like childcare and prescription drugs that are too high. College is getting more expensive every day. And wages are still too low. And inequality is too great. Good jobs in many parts of our country are still too hard to come by. These problems are serious, but i know we can overcome them together. I really believe in this country because i believe in the American People. Americas economy isnt yet where we want it to be but were stronger and bert positioned than anyone in the world. To build the future that you or your children deserve. I have spent my adult life working to even the odds for people who have had the odds stacked against them. I helped break down barriers to education for poor and disabled children as a young lawyer. I worked to bring opportunity back to upstate new york and a lot of suppressed communities there as senator and went to bat for American Workers and businesses as your secretary of state. And everything i have learned and done has convinced me were stronger when we Grow Together. And i have said [applause] i said throughout this campaign my mission as president will be to help create more goodpaying jobs so we can get incomes rising for hardworking families across america. Its a Pretty Simple formula. Higher wages lead to more demand which leads to more jobs with higher wages. And i have laid out a detailed agenda to jumpstart this virtuous cycle. You can go to my website, and read all about it. I do admit it is a little wonky, but i have this oldfashioned idea that if youre running for president you should say what you want to do. [applause] secretary clinton how youre going to pay for it. And how youll get it done. [applause] i actually set the specifics because they matter. Whether one more kid gets Health Care May just be a detail in washington, but its all that matters to that family worrying about their child. [applause] secretary clinton tomorrow in North Carolina i will set out ambitious new goals that will help us build a stronger, fairer economy. Well work with both parties to make transformational investments in goodpaying jobs in infrastructure advanced manufacturing and well tackle the twin problems. Of College Affordability and student debt. Profit sharing because everyone who works hard should be able to share in the rewards of their hard work. And to pay for these investments we will make sure wall street corporations and the superrich contribute their fair share. And well see how families live, learn, and work in the 21st century, thats what ill be talking about tomorrow in North Carolina and throughout this campaign. But today i want to talk about what donald trump is promising to do to the economy. At the end of the year its important that he be held accountable for what he says hell do as president. And [applause] we need to clear the way for a real conversation about how to improve the lives of working people. I said a few weeks ago his proposals and reckless statements represent a danger to our National Security. But you might think that because he has spent his life as a business man, he would be better prepared to handle the economy. Just like he shouldnt have his finger on the button, he shouldnt have his hands on our economy. [applause] i dont say that because of typical political disagreements. Liberals and conservatives say trumps ideas would be disastrous. The chamber of commerce and labor unions. Mitt romney and elizabeth warren. Economists on the right and the left and the center all agree, trump would throw us back into recession. One of john mccains former economic advisors actually calculated what would happen to our country if trump gets his way. It would be the result of a trump recession. We would lose 3 1 2 million jobs, incomes would stagnate, debts would explode, and stock prices would plummet. And you know who would be hit the hardest . The people who had the hardest time getting back on their feet after the 2008 crisis. One of the leading firms that analyzes the top threat to the Global Economy called the Economist Intelligence unit, comes out with a new list of threats every month. It includes things like terrorism and the disintegration of europe. And this month number three on the list is donald trump becoming president of the United States. Just think about that. Every day we see how reckless and careless trump is. Hes proud of it. Well, thats his choice. Except when hes asking to be our president. Then its our choice. [applause] donald trump actually stood on a debate stage in november and said that wages are too high in this country. He should tell that to the mothers and fathers who are working two jobs to raise their kids. He said, and i quote, having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for this country. At a time when millions working fulltime are still living in poverty. Back in 2006, before the financial crash, trump said, and again i quote, i sort of hope that the Housing Market crashes because he would make money off of all the foreclosures. Over the years he has said all kinds of things about women in the work force. He once called pregnant employees, and i quote, an inconvenience. He says, women will start making equal pay as soon as we do as good a job as men, as if we werent already. Now, these are the words, not of someone who thinks highly of women who work, or who cares about helping parents balance work and family, but instead he clearly doesnt know much about how we have grown the economy over the last 40 years. Which is largely thanks to women getting into the work force and adding to family incomes. [applause] and he wants to end obamacare but has no credible plan to replace it or to help keep costs down. It really wouldnt be good for our economy, would it, if 20 Million People lost their health insurance. And we were back to absolutely skyrocketing costs for everything. It would be devastating to families and also the economy. First, theres his plan for wall street. After the 2008 crisis, president obama fought to enact the toughest most comprehensive set of wall street reforms since the Great Depression. They are designed to protect consumers and ensure that wall street can never again take the kinds of risks that crashed our economy the last time. So what would trump do . He said he wants to wipe out the tough rules we put on big banks. He says they created, quote, a very bad situation. Well, hes got it backwards. The very bad situation was millions of families seeing their homes and savings disappear. He also wants to repeal the Consumer Financial protect bureau, the new consumer watchdog that senator warren helped create to protect families from unfair and deceptive Business Practices. That new agency has already secured billions of dollars in returns for people who have been ripped off. Donald trump wants to get rid of it. Trump would take us back to where we were before the crisis. Hed rig the economy for wall street economy. Well, that will not happen on my watch, i can guarantee you. [applause] i would veto any effort to weaken those reforms. I will defend and strengthen them both for the big banks and the shadow banking system. And i will vigorously enforce the law because we cant ever let wall street wreck main street again. Now, second theres Donald Trumps approach to our National Debt. Now, i have a plan to pay for all my proposals because i take americas longterm Financial Health seriously. Donald trump has a different approach. He calls himself the king of debt. His tax plan sure lives up to that name. According to the independent tax policy center, it would increase the National Debt by more than 30 trillion over 20 years. Thats trillion with a t. Thats much more money than any nominee of either party has ever proposed. An economist described it with words like not even in the universe of the realistic. How would he pay for all this debt . Well, he said, and i quote, i would borrow knowing if the economy crashed you could make a deal. Its like, he said, you know, you make a deal before you go into a poker game. Its not like that at all. The full faith and credit of the United States is not something we just gamble away. That could cause an economic catastrophe. [applause] and it would break 225 years of ironclad trust that the American Economy has with americans and with the rest of the world. Alexander hamilton would be rolling in his grave. We pay our debts. Thats why investors come here even when Everything Else in the world goes wrong. You dont have to take it from me. Ronald reagan said it. He said, we have a well earned reputation for reliability and credibility. Two things that set us apart from much of the world. Maybe donald feels differently because he made a fortune filing bankruptcies and skipping his creditors. Ill get to his Business Practices in a minute. But the United States of america doesnt do business trumps way. And it matters [applause] it matters when a president ial candidate talks like this because the world hangs on every word our president says. The markets rise and fall on those statements. Even suggesting that the United States would default would cause a global panic. Trump also said we can just print more money to pay our debt down. Well, we know what happened to countries that tried that in the past like germany in the 20s or zimbabwe in the 1990s. It drove inflation through the roof and crippled their economies. The american dollar is the safest currency on the planet. Why would he want to mess with that . \[applause ] [applause] secretary clinton we have to stand up for our history. Democrats and republicans have always understood this. We cant let these loose, careless remarks get any credence in our electorate or around the world. Finally the Trump Campaign said if worse came to worse we could sell off americas assets. Really . Even if we sold all of our aircraft carriers and the statue of liberty, even if we let some billionaire turn yosemite into a private country club, wed still wouldnt even get close. Thats how much debt he would run up. Maybe this is what he means when he says i love playing with debt. Someone should tell him our nations economy isnt a game. The full faith and credit of the United States is sacred. We know what sound fiscal policy looks like and it sure isnt running up massive debts to pay for giveaways to the rich and its not painful austerity that hurts working families and undercuts our longterm progress. Its being strong, stable and making Smart Investments in our future. So lets set the right priorities and pay for them so we can hand our children a healthier economy and a better future. Third, there is Donald Trumps tax plan. When i was working on this speech, i had the same experience i had when i was working on the speech i gave about Foreign Policy and National Security. Id have my researchers and my speech writers send me information and then id say really . He really said that . And theyd send me all the background or the video clip. So, here goes. He would give millionaires a 3 trillion tax cut. Corporations would get 2 trillion more dollars. That means hes giving more away to the 120,000 richest American Families than he would to help 120 million hardworking americans. Even in this era of rising inequality, this is like nothing we have ever seen. Now, you and i know that the wealthiest americans and the biggest corporations dont need trillions of dollars in tax cuts. They need to be paying their fair share. Now before releasing his plan, trump said, Hedge Fund Guys are getting away with murder. And he added, theyll pay more. Then his plan came out. It actually makes the current loophole even worse. It gives Hedge Fund Managers a special tax rate thats lower than what many middle class families pay. And i did have to look twice because i didnt believe it. Under Donald Trumps plan, these wall street millionaires will pay a lower tax rate than many working people. And of course, donald himself would get a huge tax cut from his own plan. So we dont know exactly how much because he wont release his tax returns. [applause] secretary clinton every major president ial candidate in the last four decades has shown the American People their taxes. In fact, donald actually told mitt romney to do it. And he said that if he ever ran for president he would release his returns. My husband and i have released ours going back nearly 40 years. And now donalds refusing to do so. You have to ask yourself, whats he afraid of . Maybe that well learn he hasnt paid taxes on his huge income . We know that happened for at least a few years. He paid nothing or close to it. Or maybe he isnt as rich as he claims. Or that he hasnt given away as much to charity as he brags about. Whatever the reason americans deserve to know before you cast your votes this november. And when it comes to other peoples taxes, Donald Trumps got it all wrong. We need to do better by the middle class not by the rich, and thats why my plan will help working families with the cost of college, health care, and childcare, the things that really stretch a familys budget. Thats where our focus should be. Now, fourth, Donald Trumps ideas about the economy and the world will cause millions of americans to lose their jobs. The republican primary featured the trump immigration plan. Round up and deport more than 11 Million People, almost all of whom are employed or are children going to school, then build a wall across our border, and force mexico to pay for it. Now, this policy is not only wrongheaded and unachievable, it is really bad economics. Kicking out 11 Million Immigrants would cost hundreds of billions of dollars. And it would shrink our economy significantly. Some economists actually argue that just this policy alone would send us into a trump recession. So instead of causing largescale misery and shrinking our economy, we should pass sensible Immigration Reform with a path to citizenship because the youth [applause] secretary clinton the youth and diversity our workforce is one of our greatest assets. Much of the rest of the world that we compete with is aging. By staying younger and fresher with talents that can be put to work, were actually going to be in a Stronger Economic position. In the next decades. We have always been a country where people born elsewhere could work hard, start businesses, and contribute to our growth. That makes us stronger and more prosperous. And then theres trade. I believe we can compete and win in the Global Economy. To do that we should renegotiate trade deals that arent working for americans and reject any agreements like the Transpacific Partnership that dont meet my high bar for raising wages or creating goodpaying jobs. And i will be tough on trade enforcement, too. Because when china dumps cheap steel in our markets or unfairly manipulates currency, we need to respond force fully. At the same time, we need to invest more here at home. I have a make it in america plan to increase 21st century manufacturing and energy jobs in america. And were going to build on the great ideas of senator Sherrod Brown and invest 10 billion in manufacturing communities. [applause] secretary clinton i agree with sherrod that with the right investments and level playing field, American Workers will outhustle and outinnovate anyone in the world. Donald trump makes big threats but no serious plans to encourage manufacturing, innovation, job creation in our country. There is a difference between getting tough on trade and recklessly starting trade wars. The last time we opted for trumpstyle isolationism, it made the Great Depression longer and more painful. Interestingly, trumps only products are made in a lot of countries that arent named america. Trump ties are made in china. Trump suits in mexico. Trump furniture in turkey. Trump picture frames in india. Trump barware in slovenia, and i could go on and on but you get the idea. I would love to explain how all that fits with his talk about america first. I honestly believe [applause] secretary clinton that the difference between us is not just about policy. We have fundamentally different views whether america is strong or weak. You see, i believe in the ingenuity and productivity of American Workers. I know we can sell our products to the 95 of Global Consumers who live outside of our country. On the other hand, donald trump never miss as chance to say that americans, hes talking about us, to say that americans are losers and the rest of the world is laughing at us. He told the crowd that america is, quote, will not survive. I dont know what hes talking about. I went to 112 countries as your secretary of state, what i saw is envy for our strength, values, diversity. The future were making together. [applause] secretary clinton i just cant imagine how someone running for president of the United States could ever think that that is true. I do understand how frustrated, fearful, and even angry many people are, especially if youre underemployed or making a lot less than you used to, or worrying that your kids or grandkids wont have the kind of good solid middle class life that you did. And we havent done enough to invest in our communities and in our people. To make sure there are enough jobs with rising incomes to create that good future for all of us. The answer is to do that. To bring people along on americas ride to prosperity that we all can share. Not try to turn the clock back. Pretend we cant compete and decrease the jobs of the future. But those are his plans for the economy. You may have noticed theres a lot missing. The king of debt has no real plan for making college debt payable back or making college debt free. This is a crisis that affects so many of our people. He has no credible plan for rebuilding our infrastructure, apart from the wall that he wants to build. Personally id rather spend our money on rebuilding our schools, or modernizing our energy grid. [applause] secretary clinton he has no ideas how to strengthen medicare or expand social security. In fact his tax plan would endanger both. He has no real strategy for creating jobs, just a string of empty promises. Then maybe we shouldnt expect better from someone whose most famous words are, youre fired. He has no Clean Energy Plan even though thats where many of the jobs of the future will come from. And it is the key to a safer, healthier planet. He just says that Climate Change is a hoax invented by the chinese. Ill give him this. It is a lot easier to say a problem doesnt exist than it is to actually try to solve it. [applause] secretary clinton of course he has no plan for helping urban and Rural Communities facing entrenched poverty and neglect. Every single one of these issues matter. They affect whether young people can go to college. Whether single moms can support their kids. Or grandparents can have a dignified retirement. What could be more important . In the heat of a campaign, in a culture that rewards brevity and clever phrases on social media, it is tempting to give simple answers to complex problems. Believe me, i have been tempted. But im not going to do that because it really matters that you know what i believe we can and should do. So you can hold me accountable in the election and then in the white house. [applause] secretary clinton because whether we increase employment in distressed Rural Communities, relieve the burden of college debt, or get health care to people who still dont have it, that all matters. And to me thats the purpose of politics. To empower people in a democracy to have better lives. To make better choices. To seize opportunities, to give themselves and their families that pathway to the future. And one more thing, i think donald trump has said hes qualified to be president because of his Business Record. A few days ago he said, and i quote, im going to do for the country what i did for my business. So lets take a look at what he did for his business. Hes written a lot of books about business. They all seem to end at chapter 11. [applause] secretary clinton go figure. Over the years he intentionally ran up huge amounts of debt on his companies and then he defaulted. He bankrupted his companies not once, not twice, but four times. Hundreds of people lost their jobs. Shareholders were wiped out. Contractors, many of them Small Businesses, took heavy losses. Many went bust. But donald trump, he came out fine. Heres what he said about one of those bankruptcies. I figured it was the banks problem not mine. What the hell did i care . He also says, i play with bankruptcy. Everything seems to be a game with him. Well, it isnt for a lot of us, is it . Look at what he did in atlantic city. He put his name on buildings, his favorite thing to do, he convinced other people that his properties were a great investment so they would go in with him, but he arranged it so companies performed. R how his so when his casino and hotel went bankrupt because of how he mismanaged them, he still walked away with millions while everybody else paid the price. Today his properties are sold, shuttered, or falling apart. And so are a lot of peoples lives. Heres what he says about that. Atlantic city was a very good cash cow for me for a long time. Remember that the next time you see him talking on tv. About how well all win big if only we elect him president. Now, hes trying to say hes changed. Somebodys told him he needs to say that, but hes not in it for himself anymore, hes now in it for america, but hes doing the exact same thing hes been doing for years. This is his one move. He makes overthetop promises that if people stick with him, trust him, listen to him, put their faith in him, hell deliver for them. Hell make them wildly successful. And then everything falls apart and people get hurt. Those promises youre hearing from him at his Campaign Rallies . They are the same promises he made to his customers at trump university. And now, now theyre suing him for fraud. The same people hes trying to get to vote for him are people hes been exploiting for years. Because its not just other investors or other rich people he took advantage of, it was working people. Hes been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits in the last 30 years. And a large number were filed by ordinary americans and Small Businesses that did work for trump and never got paid. Painters, waiters, plumbers, people who needed the money and didnt get it. Not because he couldnt pay them, but because he could stiff them. Sometimes he offered them 30 cents on the dollar for projects they had already completed. Hundreds of liens had been filed against him by contractors going back decades. And they all tell a similar story. I worked for him. I did my job. He wouldnt pay me what he owed me. My late father was a Small Business man. If his customers had done what trump did, my dad would never have made it. So i take this personally. He says hes a businessman. And this is what businessmen do. Cnn pointed out that no Major Company has filed chapter 11 more often in the last 30 years than trumps casinos. So, no, this is not normal behavior. There are great businesspeople here in ohio, in america, brilliant, hardworking men and women who care about their workers and the people they do business with, and they want to build something that lasts. They are decent, they are honest, they are patriots. Some might even make fine president s. And they would never dream of acting the way donald trump does. In america, we dont begrudge people being successful, but we know they shouldnt do it by destroying other peoples dreams. And so [applause] secretary clinton if i were not running against him for president , i would be saying exactly the same thing. We cannot put a person like this with all his empty promises in a position of power over our lives. We cant let him bankrupt america like were one of his failed casinos. We cant let him roll the dice with our childrens futures. Leading an economy as large and complex as ours, creating growth that is strong, fair, and lasting is about as hard a job as there is. It takes patience and clear thinking. A willingness to work across party lines, to level with the American People, and it takes really caring about whether working families will be better off because of what we do. Think of f. D. R. Leading us out of the Great Depression. Imagine all the work that required, all the learning and patience, all the hard calls day after day for years but he steered us right and we emerged stronger and better positioned to build the greatest middle class in history and lead the world toward peace and prosperity. Or thinking of president obama in 2009, newly elected, confronting the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes. He had nothing to do with creating it. It landed in his lap. And he had to be focused and he had to return to basics to get us moving again. He fought for the recovery act to get people working. He passed wall street reforms and relief for homeowners, and he saved the Auto Industry. And today were on a surer footing, ready to seize tomorrow. Just imagine if you can, donald trump sitting in the oval office the next time america faces a crisis. Imagine him being in charge when your jobs and savings are at stake. Is this who you want to lead us in an emergency . Someone thin skinned and quick to anger who would likely be on twitter attacking reporters or bringing the whole regulatory system down on his critics when he should be focused on fixing whats wrong. Would he even know what to do . Now, i have a lot of faith that the American People will make the right decision. Making donald trump our president would undo much of the progress we have made and put our economy at risk and beyond that this election will Say Something about who were as a people. Donald trump believes in the worst of us. He thinks were fearful, not confident. That we favor division not unity. Walls not bridges. And yesterday not tomorrow. He thinks the only way forward is to go back to a past prosperity that left a lot of people out. In fact, the only way forward is forward toward a 21st century version of American Dream with a modern economy and shared prosperity where no ones left out or left behind. I believe in an america always moving toward the future. [applause] secretary clinton if you believe as i do in america that values hard work, treats people with dignity, offers everyone the chance to live their dreams, cares for those in need, well, the formula for americas success has always been that were stronger together. And we need to remember that now and recommit ourselves to making that ideal real in our time. Thats how we will build our economy, to make sure it does work for everyone and to make our families and communities stronger. Well make sure that in our country no one gets left behind. So lets carry that message across america and lets fight hard. Lets win in november and lets get to work, my friends, lets make america what we know it can be. Thank you all very much. [applause] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] in advance of this speech, hillary for america released a new video this morning, detailing Donald Trumps Business Record and what it could mean for the u. S. Economy. Heres a look. Ever heard of trump state . What ever happened to Trump Airlines . Trump travel, trump ice. Trump magazine, which folded. Trump mortgage. It is a great time to start a mortgage company. Trump corporations have declared bankruptcy four times. Lenders to your companys lost billions of dollars. I am the king of debt. I love debt. I love playing with it. Knowing thatrrow, if the economy crashed, you could make a deal. With the political primary season over, cspans road to the white house takes you to this summers political conventions. Watch the Republican National convention, starting july 18 with live coverage from cleveland. I think were going to go in so strong. And watch the Democratic National Convention Starting july 25 with live coverage from the little theater. Lets go forward. Lets win the nomination. And in july, lets return. And then we take our fight for social, economic, racial, and Environmental Justice to philadelphia, pennsylvania. Every minute of the republican and democratic parties National Conventions on cspan, cspan radio, and www. Cspan. Org. On thursday, voters in the United Kingdom will decide if there country should stay or leave the european union. British Prime Minister David Cameron and Labor Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn want the u. K. To remain a member of the eu, but some are part of the brexit push, advocating for the u. K. To split from the european union. Watch the live simulcast thursday beginning at 5 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan 2 and www. Cspan. Org. Administratorrity will be on capitol hill tomorrow before the house ways and means subcommittee. He will deliver the board of Trustees Report on the program, which is being released tomorrow, nearly 80 days past the deadline set by congress. You can see it live at 2 00 p. M. Eastern on our companion network, cspan 3. The terror group isis and their ideology was the focus of a hearing held by the senate Homeland Security committee. Woman whorom a yazidi was captured and enslaved by isis, then escaped. Members discussed how the groups audiology motivates socalled lone wolf actors like the mass shooter in orlando, florida. Aboutapitol hill, this is two hours. Good morning. This hearing will come to order. We do have one witness making his way over. I thought we would get going. I want to thank the witnesses for appearing, for your time, for your testimony. The Mission Statement of this committee, you heard it repeatedly, but ill repeat it again, is to enhance the National Economic security of america. On the Homeland Security side, one of our top rarities is doing whatever we can to keep our homeland safe, to counter islamic terror. The goal of every hearing, from my standpoint, the first step of solving a problem is admitting you have one, properly defining it, identifying it, defining it, really facing reality. The goal of every hearing is to lay out a reality, so that members of the committee, the audience, understand what we are dealing with. Todays hearing is our eighth hearing, dealing with some form of the threat we face from islamic terror. It is a harsh reality. It is one i wish was not true. It is one i wish we did not have to face, but we have to. We are hearing testimony today that will be hard to hear. It will be hard to hear. But it is testimony that i think is important for us to hear. I think the weaknesses for appearing. I would ask that my written statement be entered into the record without objection. Islamic terrorists declared war on the United States. Islamic terrorists declared war on the civilized world. We didnt declare war on them. They declared war on us. I cant exactly point to the date, but one that is pretty visible was the first attempt to bring down the twin towers on february 26, 1993. The fact that we didnt face the full reality right there and then i think eventually led to the fact that we been faced the tragedy of 9 11, where almost 3000 americans were slaughtered. War. Are two ways to end a either one side defeats the other, or both sides decide to lay down their arms. Anotheric events of yet isis inspired terror attack on this country in orlando has proven islamic terrorists are not laying down their arms. The only way we are going to end this war, keep our homeland safe, return peace to the civilized world, is if we defeat islamic terrorists, if we defeat isis. On september 10, 2014, president obama laid out americas goal as relates to isis. This pretty simply stated, to degrade and ultimately defeat them. That was 22 months ago. 22 months ago. In testimony last week before the Senate Foreign relations committee, cia director john brennan laid out the reality as it relates to our success or lack thereof in our war on isis. And he testified, and this is a quote, that isis remains a formidable, resilient, and largely cohesive enemy, and that our efforts have not reduced their terrorism capability and their global reach. Realitya depressing after 22 months. But it is a reality we have to face. Again, i want to thank the witnesses. Dont hold back. Lay out the reality. Make sure that the senators on this dais and the American People understand the threat, the enemy we face, and why it is crucial that we defeat them. I wish they would lay down their arms. I wish they would declare peace. But it doesnt look like that is going to happen. With that, i will turn it over to my ranking member, senator carper. Carper thank you for delaying this hearing a week so that our witnesses could be assembled we welcome each of you. Thank you for sharing with us your stories and your perspective. We are delighted you could come. I want to follow up on the fight against isis is going. I went over a map today of that part of the world. The u. S. And our Coalition Forces have recaptured almost 50 on the land that isis once held. I think we are up to 47 . Isis has also lost land in syria. Ramadi and tikrit were key victories. Last friday, Iraqi Ground Forces captured the city of falluja and are clearing up the last pockets of resistance in that city. It was only 25 miles west of baghdad. As we speak, kurdish, iraqi, and Syrian Democratic forces backed by the u. S. Special forces are making preparations to recapture key isis strongholds in mosu l. We have killed some 25,000 isis fighters. We cut isis funds by a third or more. We destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash. We reduced their amount to ability to realize profits from oil reserves and resources in that part of the world. We drastically slow the flow of foreign recruits. From 2000 a month in 2014 to 200 a month today. It also goes for Young Americans who saw to travel to join isis. One year ago every month about 10 americans were leaving this country to join isis. Today that number is 1 per month. At home, the fbi is cracking down on recruits as well. The fbi has arrested 88 individuals. I was a naval flight officer. I served five years in southeast asia. I know a little bit about fighting wars. Another 18 years right up to the end of the cold war. One of the ways we will win this fight is not by ourselves. There is not an appetite in this country for boots on the ground. But there is an appetite for working with a coalition around the world. Or working with a coalition around the world. That is what youre doing. I believe were making progress. Is this wehere we want to be . No it is not. What are we making progress . Yes. Nine days ago, 10 days ago, my wife and i went to new york. For our son took us fathers day to the 9 11 museum. Location where the twin towers once stood. Thes reminded, as we saw faces and names of family members of some 3000 people who died that day, of the way we responded to that tragedy. Wethis room, in this room helped create the 9 11 commission. In this room we received some 40 recommendations, a bipartisan group, presented to us by the former governor of new jersey. It was presented by lee hamilton. They presented to us after 40ths of work some recommendations. What we could do to reduce the likelihood that these attacks would occur again. We adopted maybe 80 of them. D and letting them. The response to that tragedy was bipartisan. It was a unified approach. Ultimately, it has been successful. When you compare that to the response to the tragedy in orlando, it could not be more different. I i hope today that we have the kind of conversation with all of you that will enable us to better improve this fight. This is a fight we will win. We have a lot of allies, not just folks in this country. Faiths, including the muslim faith. Together, we will prevail. I asked the rest of my statement be entered into the record. Chairman johnson without objection. We will swear in witnesses so if you will rise and raise your right hand. Do you swear the testimony you will give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god . Please be seated. Witness is an tahiriate fellow at the institute for middle east policy. Dhabi8 you worked in abu focusing on syria, iraq, and the gulf states. Thank you, chairman, and ranking member. Of introduction i want to add that i come from an isis controlled area. O interviewed isis members for my book. I want to say this this is not a sectarian war. The people isis claims to represent our victims of its brutality. Just as much as everyone else. Is reality felt on a daily basis. Family and friends go to the market and see severed heads on pikes. When isis condemns its sunni opponents. They burn them alive. They stabbed their hearts before they shoot them. They display their dead bodies for days. Matter if you pray, or fast in ramadan, or turn your face towards mecca, they will still kill you if you dont pledge allegiance. From,r from where i come in my area, isis killed 700 sunni villagers and a matter of days. They dared to stand up against the group. I want to move on to say that those that system, believe in the Islamic State onlyogy are a minority not in the muslim world but also in the group. I found that members come in six categories. One, longstanding religious radicals. Believeple, they there is no sanctity of life of the unlike al qaeda, which justifies killing civilians but only as collateral damage. Kill civilians itself as the preferred outcome. A month ago, the spokesperson for isis said, when he called for sympathizers in the west and the United States to launch he receivedsaid complaints from sympathizers that couldnt find military targets. He said there is no such thing as innocent civilians in the west. Prefer to to say they kill civilians. I dont have time to justify that, he didnt even have the justification during the statement. And, the second category of arele are young zealots who victims of the first category. Arele between 1217 who drawn to this idea of a caliphate. They are brainwashed. They are told islam, in a way that isis understands. It distorts a lot of things. It dont have religious knowledge. They hear those and the relatesns that isis for the first time. Theres a third category, people so are drawn to isis political ideology first of this is a major problem not only within isis, but in the region. People who are trying to this political ideology. Is politicalere stagnation in the region. They think only these groups can shake up the political order. Teen belongsma that category. People who are only superficially influenced by this organization. He did not follow their way of life. He still was animated by this idea of the Islamic State. The other categories are those who are drawn to the group because of its militaristic success, model of government, attraction to brutality, or are profiteers. Of group is in a sea political failures in the region. It is not a surprise that isis emerged in iraq and syria. Countries have suffered emagin unimaginable brutality. The group has built its narrative around