Press Releases

President Obama says ISIS is contained, but the scale and coordination of the attacks in Paris and the recent downing of a civilian airplane in Egypt show it clearly is not. ISIS is a cancer. And a cancer cannot be contained; it must be eradicated.

The attacks in Paris proved - once again - that not only is ISIS capable of exploiting refugee flows and infiltrating / attacking the West, but it's not shy about telegraphing their strategy to continue doing so.

Given the current deplorable status of our border security, we have no reason to believe that we can ensure that those seeking refugee status will be properly vetted. National security officials have told the House Homeland Security Committee that we currently lack the means to properly screen all participants for potential security risks. Given this reality, the President must temporarily suspend bringing in Syrian refugees until we know more about this threat and that a rigorous and thorough screening plan is in place. If the President refuses, then Governor Wolf should halt cooperation with this program.

America is the land of immigrants. We’ve welcomed refugees and immigrants for generations, forming a culturally diverse and open country unlike any other in the world. In fact, my own grandmother legally emigrated from Colombia in search of greater freedom and opportunity for her family. But the safety of the American people must be our top priority - period. We must protect our citizens from those who seek to take advantage of our generosity to commit acts of terrorism.