Senate

GOP pushes Obama to crack down on terror after Brussels attacks

by Jordain Carney - 03/22/16 12:58 PM ET

Republican lawmakers are demanding the Obama administration take a harder line against terrorism in the wake of attacks in Brussels that killed dozens.

“The president’s policies are weakening our nation’s security. … It is time for an administration that will rebuild our military, protect our borders and execute a clearly-stated strategy against radical Islam in coordination with our allies across the globe,” Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in a statement, suggesting the president is putting global warming above terrorism.

{mosads}Republican senators argue President Obama must redouble a myriad of efforts ranging from bolstering partnerships with European allies to taking further military action against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Brussels.

Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.), frequent critics of Obama’s foreign policy, suggested the president must quickly develop a plan to defeat ISIS or risk “a grave price for our nation and people.”

“After allowing the ISIL threat to grow and strengthen for years, the administration still has no plausible strategy to destroy ISIL on anything close to an acceptable timeline,” they added, referring to an alternative acronym for ISIS.

Graham said in a separate video that the United States has “to go in there on the ground and destroy the caliphate before it comes here.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), also considered a defense hawk, suggested the Obama administration must fill “holes” in allies’ ability to combat terrorism.

“And we must finally execute a real strategy that brings the war to ISIS in Syria and Iraq, that puts America in the lead, and that destroys this civilizational cancer at its source,” he said.

The Obama administration — wary of being dragged into another ground war in the Middle East — has been reluctant to use a large-scale deployment of ground combat troops to fight ISIS.

Obama, speaking from Cuba on Tuesday, said the attacks were “yet another reminder that the world must unite … in fighting against the scourge of terrorism.”

A handful of Republican senators are also using the attacks to renew their push to crack down on the acceptance of refugees into the United States.

Democrats blocked legislation in the Senate earlier this year that would have effectively “paused” the acceptance of Syrian and Iraqi refugees until the administration could guarantee they aren’t a security threat.

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who has introduced legislation on refugee acceptance, said Tuesday that “we need to look honestly at our vulnerabilities here at home, including the real threat that we cannot safely screen out ISIS terrorists infiltrating refugee flows.”

Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and David Vitter (R-La.) added, separately, that lawmakers and the administration must reexamine the visa process, as well as refugee acceptance.

“These senseless terror attacks only reaffirm the urgent need to reverse our country’s lax policies so that we prevent dangerous terrorists from stepping onto U.S. soil under the guise of seeking refuge,” Vitter said.

Any push to pass legislation changing the refugee acceptance process would need the support of at least six Democrats. Democrats, however, have shown no early signs that they are rethinking their strategy to focus on tightening the visa waiver system.

In the wake of the Brussels attacks, Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) wants the House to take up his legislation requiring the administration to screen social media accounts for foreign travelers and visa applicants.

“The attack today in Belgium is further evidence that ISIS is a growing threat to the United States and the global community,” he said.”We must do everything in our power to screen these social media sites to safeguard Americans.”

Updated at 6:27 p.m.

Tags Brussels attack David Vitter Jim Inhofe John McCain Lindsey Graham Mark Kirk Tim Scott Tom Cotton