9/11 Senate Hearing: No Mention of Radical Islam, Climate Change Is Major Threat

Peters also singled out “white supremacist violence” as a national security threat, with Chertoff similarly warning of “white supremacists.” “A rise in violence driven by racism, religious discrimination, and other hateful ideologies has altered our perception of domestic terrorism,” said Peters.

Napolitano similarly framed “climate change” and “global warming” as national security threats to be prioritized by federal government policy, linking the two to illegal immigration and “radicalization”:

It is also time for Congress and DHS to recognize climate change as a generational threat to the homeland that must be addressed in a meaningful way. The uptick is extreme weather events on land and offshore clearly impact the missions of FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard, from rescue and reconnaissance to disaster preparation, response, and recovery, our changing climate requires DHS to approach those missions differently. Climate evolution also implicates our border and immigration system, thereby directly affecting USCIS, CBP, and ICE. Extreme weather is destroying crop yields in Central and South America, devastating economies, and driving out jobs and gainful employment opportunities. Wth lost jobs and lost wages, the aperture towards radicalization widens, as does the draw of northward migration. There are many factors that lead to migration to the United States, but the downstream effects of climate change are certainly among them. If we as a nation fail to address climate change in a holistic and global way as a threat to the homeland, we will ignore one of the nation’s — and the world’s — greatest security risk.

“The U.S. border with Mexico,” stated Napolitano, is not “a threat to the homeland.” She added, “What we do not need and what does not make sense is a wall from one end of the border to the other.”

Napolitano concluded, “Show me a ten-foot wall, and I will show you an 11-foot ladder. … The debate about a costly and needless border wall should come to an end. It distracts us from the overall mission of DHS. It is a red herring. I urge this committee to consider putting an end to discussions on a border wall.”

“Gun safety, gun safety, and gun safety,” said Johnson, listing his top three national security priorities. He maintained the Obama administration’s refusal to use the term “Islamic terrorism,” instead referring to “violent extremism.”

“I support anything — consistent with the Second Amendment — that has bipartisan support, [and] that makes it more difficult for a deranged violent person to get his hands on a gun, specifically an assault weapon,” added Johnson.

Napolitano concurred, “I think that universal background checks is a good step towards greater security for the country, but it is a first step.”

Story cited here.

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