Sen. Corker: Pres. Obama’s ISIS strategy fails
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) criticized President Obama’s recent Oval Office address on the threat of terrorism and the fight against ISIS.
“From Chattanooga to San Bernardino and across the country, Americans rightly are deeply worried about the security of our country,” Corker said on Dec. 11. “For years now, the president’s policy toward ISIS has been to ‘contain,’ and it’s clear that is not a winning strategy. What the president needed to do tonight, but failed to do, is to articulate to the American people a new, clear strategy to defeat ISIS and protect our country and our allies from more terrorist attacks. Instead, what we heard was more of the same containment strategy.”
He continued, “The president also must work with Congress to ensure our intelligence community and law enforcement have the tools they need to thwart attacks and save American lives, including eliminating security gaps in our procedures for those entering the country that could be exploited by terrorists.”
Ban on certain ridgetop mining draws support
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) made the following statement Dec. 10, after the Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement released its draft proposal and draft Environmental Impact Statement on Tennessee’s petition for lands unsuitable for mining:
“In 2010, Gov. Bredesen asked the department to protect 500 miles of ridgetops in Anderson, Campbell, Scott and Morgan counties as unsuitable for mining. I asked the department to carefully consider the petition because we have seen how protecting the rivers, streams, mountains, forests, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas has been important, not only for our enjoyment of the Great American Outdoors, but it has attracted millions of tourists and thousands of jobs to Tennessee.
This draft proposal would not affect other mining within these counties or other parts of Tennessee.”
Corker condemns lack of response to missle tests
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last week condemned the lack of a U.S. response to repeated Iranian ballistic missile tests that violate existing U.N. Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR).
U.S. officials confirmed in media reports that Iran conducted an illicit ballistic missile test on Nov. 21, which represents the second such launch since the Iran nuclear agreement was reached in July.
“Iran violates U.N. Security Council resolutions because it knows neither this administration nor the U.N. Security Council is likely to take any action,” Corker said. “Instead, the administration remains paralyzed and responds to Iran’s violations with empty words of condemnation and concern.”
He continued, “These continued violations without consequences also validate concern that all leverage will shift to Iran once sanctions are removed. If we cannot respond to a clear violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution, I have no faith that the U.N. and the Obama administration will implement any form of snapback in response to Iranian violations of the nuclear agreement.
“The administration has the authority to penalize foreign individuals who engage in proliferation-related activities like ballistic missile launches. They have used that authority in the past, and should do so again.”
Corker opposed President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran because, rather than end Iran’s nuclear program, the agreement paves the path for the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism to industrialize its nuclear program with a U.S. stamp of approval.
Unfortunately, despite bipartisan opposition, the president went forward with advancing his nuclear agreement with Iran. Last week, Corker and Sen. Ben Cardin, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to President Obama detailing the committee’s plans for rigorous oversight of the Iran nuclear deal.
The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which Corker authored and passed through the Senate 98 to 1, provides Congress significant leverage to hold Iran and the Obama administration accountable.
