House Homeland Security Committee launches new task force to block extremists from entering US

The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee recently launched a new task force aimed at shutting down the various pathways potential terrorists have into the United States.

The Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry into the United States will seek to identify gaps in U.S. government information sharing and vetting procedures in an effort to stop potential extremists from infiltrating the country.

The task force will consist of an eight-person bipartisan panel consisting of five Republican and three Democratic committee members and is scheduled to provide observations along with a final report in late 2017.

The Republican task force members will include U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who will serve as chairman, along with Clay Higgins (R-LA), John Rutherford (R-FL), Thomas Garrett, Jr. (R-VA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and John Katko (R-NY).

The ranking Democratic member of the committee will announce the Democratic members of the task force at a later date.

“In the current threat environment, stopping terrorists will continue to be a top committee priority,” said Committee Chair U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).

“Closing gaps in our counterterrorism screening and vetting procedures is especially important in the face of continuing global instability and the desire of ISIS and other terrorist groups to strike the West. The task force members have a difficult mission ahead of them, but the threat is real and we must act in close coordination with the administration to best protect Americans from those who wish us harm.”