(Washington, DC) In the weekly Republican Address, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) addresses the increasing threat of radical Islamic terrorism and the failure of the Obama Administration to meet these challenges. Rubio went on to say, “All these challenges underscore the need to rebuild our military, to reassure our traditional allies, and reassert American leadership on the world stage. Unless we take these actions, we will be unable to leave the world more secure for future generations of Americans.”
Below is a full transcript of his remarks.
Hello, I’m Marco Rubio. It’s my honor to represent Florida in the United States Senate.
In recent days, the evil face of radical Islamic terrorism has again appeared on American soil. We’ve seen attacks in Minnesota, New Jersey and New York.
Many innocent people were injured, and we continue to pray for their recovery. But fortunately, this time, the only loss of life was one knife-wielding terrorist, who was taken down by an off-duty police officer before more harm could be done.
These attacks remind us once again that evil is real, and that we remain a nation at war against radical Islamic terrorism.
This is a war against our country that has evolved, from terrorists with box cutters hijacking airplanes and flying them into buildings 15 years ago, to the threat of bombs targeting the Boston Marathon and charity 5K runs, speeding trucks being rammed into large crowds, makeshift bombs built with instructions obtained online, and knives and guns being used to massacre people in places like Orlando, Fort Hood, Chattanooga and San Bernardino.
Americans should not accept this as the new normal. We should not have to constantly look over our shoulder every time we visit a public place with our children, or take a walk down the street.
But we must also understand that this war will not end soon, and we can’t become fatigued or complacent about that reality.
This is a war we must win.
And winning this war requires American resolve – the kind shown by so many of our men and women in uniform over the past 15 years.
It requires the best intelligence community, equipped with the best intelligence-gathering tools – so that we can hunt down terrorists before they attack us, and bring swift justice to those who aren’t stopped in time.
It requires American ingenuity – to keep up with the modes of communication and coordination being used by these terrorists.
It requires American patriotism – like the kind shown by countless Muslims who have refused to let their Islamic faith be tarnished by extremists acting in its name, and have informed law enforcement about plots or suspicious individuals they encounter.
It requires an immigration system based on common sense – which says if we can’t fully vet someone and verify that they don’t have terrorist ties, then we simply can’t allow them inside our country or make them citizens.
It requires working with our partners to target this hateful ideology at its roots, dismantle its organizations, and deprive them of safe havens anywhere in the world.
All of these things need to happen to stop the worst threats from striking us here at home.
Unfortunately, President Obama has proven himself unable to meet these challenges for the past eight years.
The world is now a more dangerous place than when he came into office. Because instead of seeing the chaos and threats that all of us see, he dismisses the enemy and underestimates the challenges they pose to our very way of life.
And yet, the worst of his presidency may still be yet to come.
With just four months left in office, President Obama and his allies in Congress want to release every single terrorist from the military’s custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
We’ve already seen why this is a dangerous mistake, as many have been released to other countries, only to quickly go missing. Others have returned to the battlefield, and replenished the forces of evil.
The terrorists still behind bars are the worst of the worst, but President Obama and his misguided allies in Congress still want to send them to other countries, or even bring these terrorists here to U.S. soil.
If Congress and the American people don’t stop this terrible plan, these terrorists could join the ranks of al Qaeda or ISIS, at the same time our troops are trying to defeat them.
Thanks to a Republican Congress, we have successfully blocked President Obama from bringing terrorist detainees to U.S. soil. And I’ve introduced legislation to prevent the White House from evading restrictions in current law and allowing them to release all the terrorists from Guantanamo anyway.
But the president and his allies remain committed to getting this done – even though it helps these groups grow even stronger, and even though it increases the risks to Americans at home and abroad.
Even while other policies – like the disastrous deal with Iran – are providing the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism with billions of dollars in sanctions relief and ransom payments, money they will use to fulfill their dreams of ‘death to America’ and wiping Israel off the planet. Most of the Democrats in Congress supported this flawed deal too, and they continue doing everything they can to salvage it.
All these challenges underscore the need to rebuild our military, to reassure our traditional allies, and reassert American leadership on the world stage. Unless we take these actions, we will be unable to leave the world more secure for future generations of Americans.
The next four months could be President Obama’s most damaging yet as he works to fulfill these last ditch legacy projects. But it’s up to the American people and those of us in Congress to stop him.
Thank you for listening. May God bless you. And may God always bless the United States of America.