“The fallout from Joe Biden’s disastrous decision hurt Americans then. It continues to hurt Americans now. President Trump and Republicans are working to reverse these failures.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor about the recent attack by a radical Islamic extremist on two members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. Senator Barrasso emphasized that this tragic attack is a reminder of why Republicans are focused on making American communities safer.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
“Each year, I look forward to spending Thanksgiving with Wyoming troops serving overseas. This Thanksgiving, I was with Wyoming Airmen and their families at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. These young men and women come from Casper, Cheyenne, and Riverton. They are doing outstanding work supporting missions in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. They are a long way from home. Their families and friends in Wyoming are eight time zones away. I visited them to thank them for their service on behalf of the people of Wyoming. We are grateful for their sacrifice. I want them to have what they need, and to know that people at home are thinking of them.
“Our service members are heroes. They wear the uniform not for their safety, but for ours. We see this abroad. We also see it here at home. Since August, the National Guard has been deployed right here in Washington D.C. As a result, Washington D.C. is safer for residents and visitors. The number of murders, rapes, and robberies have fallen dramatically.
“Tragically, just one day before Thanksgiving, two members of the National Guard were targeted. It was an ambush attack. It occurred just blocks away from the White House. It was an act of terrorism. The attack was not only on our National Guardsmen. It was on our entire nation.
“One of the service members is Sarah Beckstrom. She was an Army Specialist from West Virginia. She died on Thanksgiving Day. She was only 20 years old. The other is Andrew Wolfe. He is a Staff Sargent in the Air Force. He is also from West Virginia. He’s 24 years old. He remains hospitalized in critical condition. He’s fighting for his life. I join all Americans in praying for them and their families.
“The terrorist who attacked them is an Afghan national. He is one of tens of thousands of Afghans flown into our country following Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. We know for a fact that thousands of these individuals were not properly vetted. I specifically questioned Joe Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken about this in the Senate under oath. He testified to the world that ‘most of them were not’ vetted. Joe Biden waved them into our country anyways. Republicans warned repeatedly that bringing people without proper clearance from a war-torn country was a major national security risk. The negligent Biden administration ignored the warning.
“In 2021, thirteen Americans heroes were killed in the botched withdrawal from Kabul, Afghanistan. One of them was Wyoming’s own Rylee McCollum. He embodied the best of Wyoming. He was a Marine. He joined on his 18th birthday. He was our state’s wrestling champion. He was about to become a father. He was just 20 years old when he died. That is the same age as Sarah Beckstrom from West Virginia.
“The fallout from Joe Biden’s disastrous decision hurt Americans then. It continues to hurt Americans now. President Trump and Republicans are working to reverse these failures. The President is strengthening law enforcement. He is deporting criminals who are in our country illegally. He is taking a hard look at anyone improperly vetted. His actions will make America safer and more secure.
“Joe Biden’s disgraceful withdrawal was not an isolated failure. It was part of a pattern of dangerous, destructive, and deadly policies. More than ten million illegal immigrants entered our country under Joe Biden and Democrats. Millions more are known gotaways. These are individuals who were seen by Border Patrol but never caught. How many more terrorists slipped into our country because Democrats threw open our borders? Where are they now? What are they up to?
“Most Americans understand that national security begins with border security. That means we must stop people from entering our country illegally. It means we must ensure dangerous people do not enter our country through legal means. And it certainly means we must remove dangerous criminals who are in our country today. As the Trump administration recently warned, ‘Mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization.’
“On Sunday, on Face the Nation, CBS News asked the Junior Senator from Virginia if the vetting process should be strengthened after the shooting. That is exactly what President Trump is doing. The Senator refused to answer that basic question. Instead, he told a national television audience that having the National Guard in Washington D.C. was a ‘political stunt.’ He blamed President Trump.
“President Trump is the one who is protecting American citizens from terrorist attacks. Attacks like the one witnessed last week in front of the White House. President Trump and Republicans want every American to be safe, secure, and prosperous. That is our top priority. After last week’s brutal attack, securing our border and our communities is more urgent than ever. Republicans will continue to remove criminals off our streets and get terrorists out of our country.”
###