Joining other conservative house members, Rep. Loudermilk (R-GA) took action to stop terrorists from entering the U.S. by strengthening the technology used in screening international travelers against law enforcement databases and terror watch lists. Rep. Loudermilk issued the following statement in response to the passage of the legislation:
“When traveling overseas as part of a special Task Force on Combating Foreign Fighter Travel, I witnessed how our international allies’ traveler vetting process was not up to 21st century security standards. Through a series of loopholes, terrorists could easily exploit these frail technology systems as an avenue to get into our country and carry out attacks on U.S. citizens, like the recent attacks in Brussels. We must use existing resources to help ramp up our allies’ technology systems to stop terrorists before they reach American soil.
“The Enhancing Overseas Traveler Vetting Act, which has passed the House, takes escalating terror threats seriously and enhances our efforts to keep terrorists out of our country. This measure doesn’t cost the taxpayers a dime; it simply reallocates our security assets to more effectively combat terrorism. We all want a safe and secure America, and this legislation will help improve our national security.”
Background
The Enhancing Overseas Traveler Vetting Act, H.R. 4403, creates updated, open-source software, mirrored after high-quality vetting tools, which helps our foreign partners screen travelers against terrorist watch lists and verify traveler ID. This legislation will also allow the U.S. to provide technical assistance and training to our overseas allies seeking to improve their systems in order to protect both U.S. and international borders.
