February 26, 2016

Dear Friend,

Thank you for taking the time to read my weekly newsletter.

ACTIONS IN THE HOUSE

Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act

The House passed with my support the SHARE Act, which provides greater access to federal land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities. The bill also has strong Second Amendment protections, including provisions allowing individuals to carry firearms at Corps of Engineers recreational areas and increasing federal funding for states to set up public shooting ranges on public lands. In Mississippi, outdoor recreation is a way of life and I am pleased to support legislation that preserves this tradition for future generations.

A tradition I enjoy with John Forrest and Jackson

Guantanamo Bay

Earlier this week, President Obama presented the American people with a “plan” to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and transfer detainees to the United States. The president’s plan lacked substance and is not about promoting national security or keeping Americans safe. Instead, it is about fulfilling a seven-year campaign promise and cementing his legacy. Congress passed legislation, that the president signed, making it clear that it is against the law to transfer Gitmo terrorists to the United States. I will continue to use every legislative tool available to ensure detainees are never transferred to American soil.

National Security

It is unfathomable to me why any American would want to travel to a country like Iraq or Syria and join or provide material support to Islamic terrorist organizations. Sadly, American citizens have traveled to conflict zones in Iraq and Syria to join the Islamic State. Currently, the federal government does not have a strategy for combating terrorist travel. In order to address this national security threat, Congress passed the following legislation:

H.R. 4402- the Foreign Fighter Review Act: Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit a report to Congress on instances since 2011 in which persons traveled or attempted to travel from the U.S. to Iraq or Syria to support terrorists

H.R. 4408- the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act: Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit to Congress a national strategy to disrupt terrorists from travelling domestically and internationally

STAY IN TOUCH

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SURVEY

Do you support President Obama's plan to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and transfer detainees to the United States? Let me know.

Thanks for reading,

Rep. Trent Kelly (MS-01)
Member of Congress