(Video above: Congressman Bradley Byrne demands Secretary of Defense Ash Carter release strategy to defeat ISIS)
WASHINGTON — Just hours after the terrorist attacks in Belgium, Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) demanded Secretary of Defense Ash Carter produce an overdue report to Congress outlining the U.S. military’s strategy to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
ISIS has claimed responsibility for attacks at the airport and a metro station in Brussels, Belgium, that killed over 30 people.
Section 1222 of last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama, required the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress by February 15, 2016 that outlined a strategy for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and to combat violent extremism. The report has yet to be submitted.
Section 1222 of the law reads: “(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Not later than February 15, 2016, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategy for the Middle East and to counter violent extremism.”
Secretary Carter simply responded to Congressman Byrne’s questioning by saying that the report’s release is “imminent.” Byrne noted that lives are at risk everyday due to the lack of a strategy to defeat Islamic extremism.
A transcript of the exchange between Congressman Byrne and Secretary Carter can be found below. The full, somewhat hostile exchange can be viewed in the video above.
Byrne: “Mr. Secretary, obviously we are hearing today of tragedy. Tragedy for the Belgians. Tragedy for the world. ISIS has now taken responsibility for the murders this morning. We had a Marine that was killed last weekend in Iraq.
“We have a law that we passed called the National Defense Authorization Act. It required you to submit to the Congress, by February 15th, a plan for defeating these people. I know you told the Chairman that it was imminent. You have failed to do it by February 15th. You are in violation of the law. When an average American violates the law there are consequences. Would you care to explain to the Committee why there shouldn’t be consequences for your failure to follow the law that was signed by your President?”
Carter: “It will be in front of you imminently…”
Byrne: “Mr. Secretary that’s not my question. The statute says you shall do it by February 15th. Do you not agree that you are in violation of that law?”
Carter: “We are prepared…we are going to submit that report. It has taken some time…”
Byrne: “I’m going to ask you again. Do you not agree that you are in violation of the law?”
Carter: “We will have that report to you shortly Congressman.”
Byrne: “I don’t think that’s a satisfactory response. When we pass a law around here, it means something. Now people’s lives are at stake. You know that better than any of the rest of us. I don’t think it is too much to ask that you comply with the laws that we pass and the President signs. So it is not sufficient for you to say that it is imminent. You need to give us a plan now.”
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