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KEY EXCERPTS BELOW:

On the threat posed by ISIS, and the bipartisan, veto-proof majority that voted last week to strengthen the Syrian refugee program:

“The bomber who blew himself up outside of the stadium in Paris, he himself was carrying a Syrian passport, had come in through Greece with that refugee population…

“Right now the FBI have indicated to us that they don’t have the data to really vet. They don’t have the intelligence on many of these individuals…  So what we’re saying here is… we need the director of the FBI and homeland security to sign off by attesting that we have got the capability to vet.”

On President Obama’s refusal to lay out a real strategy to defeat and destroy ISIS:

“If the president is really concerned about this situation, Maria, why didn’t the president…  stop ISIS from taking this territory and helping to create this refugee flow? And why won’t he sign off for example on today the type of robust air campaign against ISIS? Or why doesn’t he sign off on arming the Kurds, and the Yazidis, and the… Sunni tribesmen?

“He’s tied our hands with the containment strategy — he keeps asserting well they’re contained. No they’re not.”

On the need to establish safe zones in Syria to protect refugees, and begin rolling back ISIS:

“In both political parties, people have said, protect the Sunnis, Yazidis and Kurds up in the north by offering a safe zone so that the refugees have a place where they can be safe. If he’s not even willing to do that… how are we going to defeat ISIS?

On the need for Congressional action, given President Obama’s refusal to lead:

“…[President Obama] has underestimated the danger of ISIS from the beginning. [He said] it was the JV team. [He said] it was never going to be a threat to the United States.  So… we’re going to move legislation through my Committee, not just on arming the Kurds, but also on the issue of a safe zone. And we’re also going to try to push this administration to use airpower effectively and hit these ISIS targets.”

Watch Chairman Royce’s full interview HERE.

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