Just hours after we officially entered the New Year, an evil terrorist drove a truck down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens of others. After crashing his vehicle, which was flying an ISIS flag, the terrorist was shot and killed by heroic law enforcement officers who didn’t hesitate to rush toward danger to save countless lives. My heart goes out to the loved ones of the victims of this heinous terror attack.
The people of New Orleans are incredibly resilient. They made it through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and won’t let a deranged lunatic frighten them or change their way of life.
There are many questions that must be answered following the attack. The federal government must work around the clock and do everything it can to get Americans the answers they deserve. And it’s critical that authorities keep President Donald Trump and his team up to date on the latest in the investigation.
For years, Republicans have sounded the alarm over the Biden administration’s failure to focus on going after groups and individuals who actually pose the biggest threat to our safety and security. They claimed the number one threat was so-called “racially motivated extremism.” They went after parents who protested at local school board meetings, painted certain Catholics as violent extremists, and waged a years-long witch hunt against President Trump. Enough is enough. The federal government needs to focus on keeping Americans safe by going after terrorists like the one who carried out the attack in New Orleans.
Since day one, the Biden administration has ignored the terror threat stemming from the southern border. Following Hamas’ October 7 terror attack against Israel, Customs and Border Protection issued a memo warning that terrorists involved in that war could attempt to enter the U.S. from Mexico. In August, a suspected Palestinian terrorist known for using “explosives/firearms” was caught at the southern border. Just weeks earlier, three other suspected Palestinian terrorists were caught at the California border. And according to a report released by the House Judiciary Committee in August, the Biden administration has released into American communities at least 99 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist.
The New Orleans terror attack underscores how critical it is for the Senate to move swiftly to confirm President Trump’s nominees who are in charge of keeping America safe. That means confirming South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary so she can help President Trump secure the border and protect our nation from terror attacks. In addition, the Senate needs to confirm Kash Patel as FBI Director so he can clean house at the troubled agency, which has lost the public’s trust and strayed from its mission. And once Tulsi Gabbard has taken the reins as Director of National Intelligence, she’ll immediately get to work investigating actual threats instead of wasting precious time and resources pursuing conspiracy theories like the Russia Collusion hoax.
Trump’s return to the White House cannot come soon enough. I’m incredibly thankful that our next president will do everything he can to protect families. I look forward to working with him and his team to make America safe again.
