Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 10, 2015. Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives passing H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, which she championed as a cosponsor. The legislation will strengthen security measures in the Visa Waiver Program, an important tourism program that helps grow the American economy and create jobs. This bipartisan bill is supported by President Obama and Congressional Republicans alike because it closes serious security gaps that terrorists could exploit to enter our nation.
“National security should not be a partisan issue and we don’t have to compromise our values to keep America safe from terrorism,”said Congresswoman Duckworth. “I am a proud cosponsor of the bipartisan Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act and am pleased both sides worked together to pass a bill that will address our nation’s real security vulnerabilities while upholding American ideals. We must do everything in our power to protect our country, so while I am pleased with this bill’s passage, I will also continue working to close loopholes in federal law that make it easier for terrorists to infiltrate our borders and then legally purchase and possess firearms.”
Congresswoman Duckworth has been a fierce advocate for protecting our national security interests and homeland from terrorism in a way that doesn’t undermine or compromise the values that make our country great. She is leading legislation with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to close a loophole in federal law that enables foreign nationals visiting the United States under the Visa Waiver Program–which terrorists including a 9/11 co-conspirator already have done—to legally purchase and possess firearms. The Congresswoman supports improving security and combating the ideology of ISIL, which is why the Congresswoman penned an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune last month outlining her position that rejecting all Syrian refugees who are fleeing ISIL will ultimately endanger our national security.
Source: www.duckworth.house.gov
