Senator Collins' Reaction To President's Address On ISIS Threat

          WASHINGTON, D.C.-- U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tonight released this statement following the President's Address to the Nation.

          “ISIS has grown in size, strength, and sophistication and has demonstrated the ability to move quickly to seize territory in both Iraq and Syria, killing and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Its brutal murders of two American journalists and its training of radicalized Islamists from our country and Western Europe demonstrate beyond any doubt that it will continue to seek to harm our citizens and disrupt our way of life. The President is correct that ISIS poses a growing threat to the United States, and I support many elements of his long overdue strategy to address this threat.

          "The President’s strategy is based in part upon cooperation with our allies in the region and includes non-military components to complement the military effort. Cutting off ISIS’s financial support and countering the extremists’ perversion of Islam are necessary elements for an effective strategy to achieve the goal of degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS.

          "Ultimately, the effectiveness of the President’s plan will pivot upon his resolve to follow through on the words he delivered tonight. It will also depend upon the contributions of our regional allies like Saudi Arabia, which must do more to combat the terrorist threat posed not only by ISIS, but also by a resurgent al Qaeda that has metastasized and has a presence in more than 20 countries or territories.

          “Many questions remain to be answered about the specifics of the President’s plan. The President's plan will not be effective, for example, if it follows the exact models for Yemen and Somalia, two countries in turmoil that remain terrorist safe havens to this day.

          "I participated in the Intelligence Committee’s briefing yesterday and look forward to the briefing tomorrow from Administration officials where I expect to hear in greater detail about what the President is seeking from Congress, the risks and costs associated with the President’s plan, and possible alternatives to counter this very real and growing terrorist threat.”

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