Newsletter: What "Never Forget" Truly Means

Statement

This past week, we commemorated the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. As ever, the weight of the day was clear: Flags around the Capitol were flown at half-mast and we observed a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. When we concluded votes, I went to the airport (as I do every week), boarded a plane, and headed back home to Kansas. Even a trip to the airport takes on a greater dimension on 9/11 than on any other day.

There was more to this year's 9/11 anniversary than remembrance, too: My fellow House members and I received a briefing on the Administration's strategy to combat ISIS and its reign of radical Islamic terror that presents a very real threat to us right here in Kansas. This followed President Obama's Wednesday night television address in which he tried to explain the urgency of the situation to the American people.

The truth is that while the President has finally stepped away from his view that ISIS is merely a "J.V. team," he continues to downplay the true threat of radical Islamic terror. As a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as the Select Committee on Benghazi, I have seen time and again how deadly serious these terrorists are and what happens when we choose to do nothing.

The President has known about ISIS for well over a year and his wait-and-see approach has made things more dangerous for our nation, not less. I have been urging action against al Qaeda and its splinter group ISIS all of that time. The same is true of his entire approach to "winding down" the War on Terror. It calls into question the President's commitment to accomplish the very victory we need. And, we cannot forget, crushing al Qaeda in the Levant must never allow Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas to dominate that same region in their place.

Whatever the case, however, the President has opened the door to taking action. I wrote in National Review this week that this is an existential threat that goes beyond politics. We must call evil by its name and take action against it. I believe that when we say that we should "Never Forget," that we should include in that the decision to remain thoughtful and vigilant, that we must never give up.

We are presented today with the very same kind of threat we saw after Sept. 11, 2001, that of unchecked radical jihadists seeking to destroy America. We must face these challenges as America always has: with strength and a commitment to victory.

God bless America and those who fight to keep us safe,

Mike Pompeo
Member of Congress

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