Ridgewood Nj, On Wednesday, Democrat Josh Gottheimer, challenger in the race for New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District questioned incumbent Republican Scott Garrett’s stance on terror at a campaign event in Bergenfield, New Jersey.
Challenger Gottheimer appeared with United Airline pilots and members of the Air Line Pilots Association who said that Garrett opposes a proposed safety measure for “secondary cockpit barriers” that would prevent terrorists from entering the cockpit.
While Gottheimer’s charges elicited a giggle , especially coming from a protege of Hillary Clinton who has come under heavy scrutiny for her tenure as Secretary of State and a Democratic administration that will not even use the words ,”Islamic Terrorism” who also criticized former president Bush claiming the “war of terror” was nothing more than a made up .
The Garrett campaign responded to Gottheimer’s clueless remarks and characterization that the Congressman is weak on terror.with a litany on anti terror legislation the Congressmen Garrett has worked on .
“Congressman Garrett’s record on the fight against terrorism and protecting the American people is strong and the repeated false attacks from his opponent are nothing but a sloppy attempt to tell a story that simply isn’t true,” said Sarah Neibart, Campaign Manager for Scott Garrett.
In fact, Congressman Garrett was a leading voice against the nuclear deal with Iran–one of the most devious state sponsors of terrorism on the planet–despite support from Gottheimer’s friends in the Democrat establishment like Hillary Clinton and her cronies,” Neibart added.
Garrett , “Iran Nuke deal” saying “As I’ve said since the beginning of these negotiations, any agreement that allows Iran to acquire, build, or proliferate nuclear weapons—now or in the future—is a threat to the United States and its allies. The Iranian regime has done nothing to prove that it has earned the trust or respect of the international community, and therefore should not be rewarded with good faith gestures or sanctions relief.
“With this deal, a timetable is set where Iran can organize, increase military capabilities, raise funds, and prepare for deadlines where they will be able to acquire ballistic weapons and continue their nuclear proliferation. This could create a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and further destabilize an increasingly volatile region. Congress must ensure the terrorist state of Iran never has a chance to threaten the world with nuclear weapons.”
“Additionally, please see the attached list of bills that Congressman Garrett has supported in the 114th Congress that have passed the House. They are related to the issues you wrote about in the published article.”
H.R. 4408 — National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 2016, as amended (Rep. Katko, R-NY) This legislation requires the creation of an implementation plan from the President in order to ensure that our defenses against terrorist travel are streamlined and that existing security gaps are closed.
H.R. 720 – Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015, Rep. John Katko (R-NY) This legislation makes important advancements in enhancing our ability to prepare and mitigate threats in our nation’s airports. It addresses gaps in security at domestic airports by requiring enhanced security and communication at airports nationwide. Specifically, it requires TSA to verify that all airports and high-risk surface transportation hubs have an appropriate security response plan in place to effectively train for and respond to security incidents when they occur. Further, it will ensure that emergency communications equipment is regularly tested and that emergency first-responders are able to communicate with each other and the public during a major security incident.
H.R. 2770 – Keeping our Travelers Safe and Secure Act, Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) This legislation eliminates the risks and threats posed to our aviation sector by ensuring airport screening equipment is properly maintained and kept fully operational. It requires the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop and implement a comprehensive preventive maintenance process for airport screening equipment. The process must include specific maintenance schedules, guidance for TSA personnel and contractors on how to conduct and document maintenance actions, mechanisms to insure compliance, and penalties for noncompliance.
H.R. 3144 – Partners for Aviation Security Act, Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) This legislation would ensure robust and continual collaboration between the TSA and aviation stakeholders to identify and understand security concerns. In addition to requiring TSA consultation with key stakeholders, this legislation requires a TSA report on the Transportation Security Oversight Board and makes a technical correction to existing law to ensure that there are no lapses in activity for the Aviation Security Advisory Committee.
H.R. 3586 – Border and Maritime Coordination Improvement Act, Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) This legislation addresses the deficiencies that plague our border security efforts, which drive up costs and limit effectiveness according to DHS officials. To address these deficiencies, this legislation requires increased collaboration and communication between DHS’ diverse operational components and gives them the flexibility to utilize public-private partnerships to better secure our borders.
H.R. 4509 — State and High-Risk Urban Area Working Group Act (Rep. Payne, D-NJ) This legislation fixes the lack of coordination between all those involved in community response to a terror attack. This legislation would address this issue by ensuring that decision-makers, including school officials and public health officials, work together to gain a complete understanding of a community’s vulnerabilities so that investments can be prioritized appropriately.
H.R. 4403 — Enhancing Overseas Traveler Vetting Act (Rep. Hurd, R-TX) This legislation helps prevent terrorists from traveling undetected to and from western countries. Specifically, this legislation rapidly increases the United States’ ability to share proven technologies with our allies. It authorizes the United States to develop and share open-source software that will help our European allies vet travelers and identify known or suspected jihadists.
H.R. 2750—Improved Security Vetting for Aviation Workers Act, as amended (Rep. Katko, R-NY) This legislation strengthens the vetting of employees who have sensitive access within our nation’s airports. The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General issued a report in June which found that a stunning 73 aviation workers have ties to terrorism. This legislation would ensure that airport employees are properly vetted to keep travelers safe and secure.
H.R. 1300—First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act, (Rep. King, R-NY) This legislation would enhance the nation’s capability to fight a wide-area anthrax attack by providing pre-vaccinated responders with the ability to immediately and confidently deploy countermeasures with the protections needed for such activities.
H.R. 1634— Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2015, as amended (Rep. McSally, R-AZ) This legislation addresses the numerous reports to Congress that DHS acquisition programs are a “high risk” for waste, fraud, and abuse. This legislation requires cost control mechanisms for new border technology projects, safeguarding taxpayer dollars and improving the oversight of major DHS acquisition programs.
H.R. 3102—Airport Access Control Security Improvement Act of 2015, (Rep. Katko, R-NY) This legislation is in response to several recent incidents in which airport and airline employees used their security credentials to bypass security screening and transport prohibited items, including illegal drugs and guns, into secure areas of airports and onto commercial flights. The legislation will streamline and strengthen the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) screening procedures for airport and airline employees by requiring the TSA Administrator to establish a risk-based, intelligence-driven screening model that subjects employees to more frequent, more randomized security screenings and minimizes the number of employee entry and exit points.
H.R. 3510—Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Strategy Act of 2015, 2015 (Rep. Richmond, D-LA) This legislation directs the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to develop a departmental strategy to carry out cybersecurity responsibilities as set forth in law. Improving our nation’s cybersecurity is paramount, and this legislation ensures that DHS is able to defend our nation and its people from cyber-attacks.
H.R. 4314 — Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016 (Rep. Zeldin, R-NY) This legislation establishes international border security standards to close security gaps that currently exist that allow terrorists and foreign fighters to travel internationally. The plan would establish international border security standards that would be developed in coordination with all relevant U.S. Government departments and agencies in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Director of National Intelligence, and Director of the FBI.
H.R. 4401 — Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terror Act of 2016, (Rep. Loudermilk, R-GA) This legislation authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to train State and major urban area fusion centers (local and state law enforcement personnel) in the most effective tactics and methods used to counter terrorism. It also provides increased community awareness of ongoing terrorist threats, and directs DHS to notify Congress on the number of security clearances they issue to state and local law enforcement communities.
H.R. 3584 — Transportation Security Administration Reform and Improvement Act of 2015 (Rep. Katko, R-NY) This legislation ensures several Congressional oversight priorities for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are addressed, including the authorization of the PreCheck program, the advancement of risk-based security initiatives, the enhancement of aviation worker vetting, and the improvement of airport screening technologies.
H.R. 4402 — Foreign Fighter Review Act of 2016, as amended (Rep. Hurd, R-TX) This legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to do an end to end review of all known foreign fighter travel to identify the specific challenges that law enforcement faces in its attempts to stop individuals from joining terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. DHS will then submit their findings to Congress so that appropriate action can be taken to improve the security of our nation
