Dear friend,

The horrifying events that took place over the past few weeks, including the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, have shaken our country to its very core. It is clear that the United States and other freedom loving countries around the world are at war with radical Islamic groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda.

These terrorists are unlike any enemy we have ever faced. They do not value their own lives or even the lives of their children and will stop at nothing to kill anyone who opposes their apocalyptic beliefs. More than ever this growing threat requires a strategic and realistic plan of action not only to defend our homeland but also to exterminate these terrorist groups. And yet, all our Commander and Chief has offered the American people… are crickets and PR stunts.

President Obama is so scared that he will alienate his liberal base that he has overseen the most restrictive and ineffective rules of engagement in the modern world. He refuses to define the enemy for whom and what they are – radical Islamist terrorists – and refuses to put forth an effective war strategy that will combat dangerous terrorists that are beheading and slaughtering innocent civilians.

His political ploy earlier this year in seeking a limited Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) was laughable and not a serious request. In his speech from the Oval Office this past Sunday night, he didn’t even have the nerve to ask Congress to approve that draft because it wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. Instead of leading, President Obama has decided to play politics once again and attempt to shift the blame for his terrible foreign policy to Congress with a hollow call for Congress to now vote on an ISIS AUMF.

Sadly, President Obama has created a leadership vacuum that he doesn’t have the competency to fill in order to successfully confront this enemy. Across Arizona, I have heard from countless people telling me that they are scared about the security of this nation. And here is the truth that you deserve to hear:

We are at war and the threat we face from Islamic terrorism is real
ISIS must be wiped off the face of the Earth
American leadership and military might are necessary to defeat the enemy

The first thing any country must do when they are at war also happens to be the most important job of the United States federal government; protect and defend its people. Despite the president’s reluctance to take action to secure our borders, the House of Representatives is advancing common sense solutions RIGHT NOW to keep you safe:

VISA WAIVER REFORM

On Tuesday, with overwhelming bipartisan support, the House passed the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act which requires all 38 participating countries to provide counterterrorism information and other critical intelligence while denying Visa Waiver Program status for those who have traveled to terrorist hotbeds, like Iraq and Syria. It is estimated that approximately 5,000 Europeans have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS, many of whom are from countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program. This is a common sense step that can be done immediately to stop the flow of potential terrorists entering the United States. We simply cannot allow those who seek to do us harm the ability to abuse our relationships with allied nations.

PAUSING REFUGEE PLACEMENT IN THE U.S.

The United States already takes in more immigrants than any other country on the planet. Allowing tens of thousands of refugees to enter our country would further strain our out-of-control deficit spending. Even more troubling, leaders from the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center and the Department of Homeland Security have said they do not have the necessary on-the-ground intelligence to thoroughly vet refugees.Until there is a certification process in place that we can trust to prevent terrorist threats in America, the administration’s Syrian and Iraqi refugee program should be paused. My colleagues and I are trying to stop these transfers in Congress and I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 3314, introduced by my good friend and colleague Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX). If enacted, this bill will put an immediate moratorium on the refugee resettlement program and prevent these potentially dangerous individuals from entering our borders.

STOPPING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND INCREASING BORDER SECURITY

The Obama Administration has failed to enforce our immigration laws resulting in rural law enforcement agencies having to pick up the slack to protect our communities. This additional burden is extremely expensive which is why the federal government is required by law to compensate state and local governments for the costs of incarcerating illegal immigrants. I am fighting to ensure that Arizona gets every penny it is owed from having to incarcerate undocumented criminal offenders. The Obama Administration needs to either start enforcing the rule of law or pay the local and state agencies who are doing it for them. Click HERE to read more.

PROTECTING THE SECOND AMENDMENT

In the wake of the terrorist attack on San Bernardino, the president responded with an effort to distract Americans from this failure of national security by talking about gun control and stripping away due process for people on the no-fly list. These far-left proposals have been resoundingly debunked as foolish and ineffective to stop terrorism or gun violence. Even worse, this attack on our Second Amendment would actually result in increased gun violence and innocent lives lost. There is no easy answer to the problem of violence we face in our country, but inhibiting the ability of law-abiding citizens to exercise their Constitutional rights is nothing more than window dressing. I am proud to have an A rating from the NRA and have fought my entire career to protect the Second Amendment. This includes listening and acting on YOUR ideas, like when a constituent from Prescott, Arizona inspired an amendment I introduced to block an ammo ban. That idea passed the House and could be signed into law as soon as next week. Click HERE to learn more.

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The time has come for America to lead. While the president has demonstrated he does not have the fortitude or leadership qualities necessary to accomplish the mission, there is too much at stake for our country to go quietly into the night.

It is for these reasons, as well as to protect future generations, that Congress must unequivocally declare ISIS and its affiliates enemies of the United States. We must authorize a decisive and robust AUMF. If the president won’t lead, Congress should. And that is why 17 brave colleagues and I recently called on the House to pass a new AUMF to destroy ISIS before going home for the holidays. I refuse to sit idle with so much at stake. The threats to our homeland are real and ISIS must be destroyed. The president’s failure to do his job shouldn’t prohibit Congress from doing ours. Let’s pass a new AUMF and wipe ISIS off the face of the Earth.

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As always, you can follow everything I am working on in Arizona and Washington, D.C. through my website (https://gosar.house.gov) on Twitter @RepGosar, through Facebook at Representative Paul Gosar or on Instagram at RepGosar.

Sincerely,

Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S
Member of Congress

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