The federal government’s number one responsibility is to protect the American people. 

As the end of the Obama Administration approaches, the American people still do not feel, with any degree of confidence, that Washington is taking the proper steps to to uphold that responsibility.

It is time to stop chasing diplomacy to the point where it puts the safety of the American people at risk. To the point where any leverage the U.S. has started with is gone. And to the point where we let we withdraw from conflicts with enemies because it is easier to allow someone else to fight the battle.

It is time for America to lead again.

CURRENT ISSUES

The ruthlessness of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist organization knows no bounds or borders. Its barbaric acts are gaining ground, and American citizens are victims. I'm concerned that President Obama does not have an effective plan to protect Americans at home and defeat ISIS abroad. Arkansans are worried that in its efforts to attack our country, ISIS will infiltrate the refugee population fleeing the civil war in Syria and gain access to our country through our nation’s refugee program. We are working to prevent that from happening. Learn more…

Iran, now free of nuclear-related sanctions—one of the many disastrous results of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—is now flush with resources to build its arsenal and fund terror across the region. The regime in Tehran acts as if it is virtually untouchable now. Even before implementation of the JCPOA, Iran shamelessly violated UN Security Council mandates by conducting prohibited ballistic missile tests. As our own State Department has now acknowledged, Iran will send funds and resources to its terror allies, including Hezbollah and Bashir Assad in Syria, as a result of the sanctions relief. Learn more…

Russia is expanding through force, annexing smaller neighboring countries and fomenting tensions in others. Not content to cause chaos in Eastern Europe, Vladimir Putin injected his forces into the Syrian conflict, working side-by-side with Assad to help protect the dictator from losing his grip on power while doing nothing to stop ISIS from continuing to gain ground in the region. During a debate four years ago, President Obama dismissed the Russian threat with ridicule of his opponent. He needs to pay attention now. Russia’s aggressive actions paired with its nuclear arsenal and proxy wars, has led many of our top military officials—including Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley—to name Russia as the top threat to U.S. security. Learn more…

The recent posturing by North Korea is the direct result of a rogue state feeling emboldened by the misguided approach of the Obama foreign policy doctrine. By violating a number of United Nations mandates and by expanding a uranium enrichment facility, restarting a plutonium reactor and testing long-range rocket capability. National Intelligence Director, James R. Clapper, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee that North Korea had expanded its production of weapons-grade nuclear fuel. According to the New York Times, Clapper says the Obama Administration now regards the regime in Pyongyang as “the world’s most worrisome nuclear threat.” Congress is taking the proactive approach to stopping the North Korean threat that the Obama Administration should have taken in the first place. Learn more…

The President’s idea to close Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) and transferring detainees to American soil creates needless national security risks and poses a threat to American citizens. This is not what the American people want. That’s why Congress has rejected the President’s proposal time and time again. While we are fighting global terrorism, holding these dangerous terrorists domestically is not the message our citizens want to hear. The detention center at Gitmo is a state-of-the-art facility that is well-equipped to handle the world’s most dangerous terrorists. I believe that we must keep Gitmo open and I will continue to fight the President’s efforts to close this facility and transfer terrorists to U.S. soil. Learn more…