Rep. Zeldin’s Counterterrorism Bill Passes House Foreign Affairs Committee

Washington, DC – Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, C – NY-1), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today announced that legislation he introduced in Congress, the “Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016” (H.R. 4314) passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016 would establish a plan 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. Under the plan, U.S. resources would be utilized in the most efficient way possible with a special focus on high-risk and medium-risk countries. Under this legislation, a reporting system would also be established to monitor efforts of foreign governments to combat terrorism and foreign fighter travel and to suspend foreign assistance to countries not making significant efforts to comply. Furthermore, the legislation would put a monitoring system in place that would screen for infectious diseases to contain and prevent any potential outbreaks.

“Today, I am proud to announce that my legislation, the Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016, passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” Congressman Zeldin said. “This critical bill would establish international border security standards, which would address vulnerabilities that currently exist with international security abroad. With the rise of terrorism at home and around the world, it is important that we remain ever vigilant to protect our homeland. This is a commonsense way to ensure that we can monitor and stop the movement of terrorists. I believe that this measure is long overdue and with this bill’s passage out of Committee today, it is clear that many of my colleagues in Congress share this view. I will continue to push for the full passage of this bill in the House.”

A copy of the bill can be found here.