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Hudson Applauds Senate Action on American SAFE Act

January 12, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2016
Hudson Applauds Senate Action on American SAFE Act
After Hudson encourages Senate action on bill to bolster security of refugee program, McConnell files cloture
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-08), co-author of the American SAFE Act, released the following statement applauding Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for moving to bring the American SAFE Act to the Senate floor for a vote:
“I applaud Senate Majority Leader McConnell for bringing this reasonable, common sense legislation up for a vote. There has been a lot of heated rhetoric and opinions about how to deal with this situation, but the bottom line is the American people expect us to work together to keep us all safe. It is a critical step to address glaring vulnerabilities in our security that terrorists could exploit, tackle the growing threat of radical Islamic extremism and ensure the safety of Americans. We face complex and growing threats from Islamic extremism and we must remain vigilant – this bill is a critical step to avoid another deadly catastrophe here at home."
Since House-passage of this legislation, Rep. Hudson has urged his colleagues in the Senate to support this bill. Recently, he sent a letter to Members who voted for the American SAFE Act to update them on recent developments regarding the security of the Iraqi and Syrian refugee program and call on them to encourage their Senate colleagues to ask Senate Majority Leader McConnell to bring this legislation to the floor immediately.
In the wake of two Iraqi refugees being arrested in the U.S. for ties to terrorism, Rep. Hudson joined Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (TX-10), along with Members of the Homeland Security Committee, to urge the Senate to take up the American SAFE Act, H.R. 4038. In addition, Rep. Hudson joined his colleagues in a letter to Senate Majority Leader McConnell urging him to make good on his promise and bring this important piece of legislation to a vote in the Senate.
According to the National Counterterrorism Center, “Since 2011, NCTC has identified non-Syrian individuals with ties to terrorist groups in Syria attempting to gain entry to the U.S. through the U.S. refugee program.”
In a recent interview with MTP Daily’s Chuck Todd, Rep. Hudson said, “It's like my grandfather said, if there's a hole in the bucket, turn the spigot off first, then fix the bucket.”
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