Nearly a decade since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. continues to face multi-faceted threats to its national security, U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘G.T.’ Thompson told a Penn State audience Monday night.
‘The bad news is, they (terrorists) keep trying,’ Thompson said before about 60 people in Wartik Lab. ‘ … I’m here to tell you tonight that the war on terror has been successful — in some ways.’
He said the country has foiled 311 attempted terrorist plots in the past nine years. He also said that al Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks, has been effectively weakened and faces more difficulty getting terrorists onto U.S. soil.
But that, apparently, has led al Qaeda to try to recruit more Americans already inside U.S. borders. ‘That means that everyone in this nation needs to be vigilant,’ Thompson said.
He spoke about 45 minutes before opening the floor to about 30 minutes’ worth of questions. His appearance was hosted by Young Americans for Freedom at Penn State, a conservative group, and by a local chapter of the 912 Project — known casually as the Centre County Tea Party.
Thompson cited five specific areas in which he said the U.S. faces substantial security threats: terrorism, energy dependence, food-supply security, the national debt and border security. Here’s a look at highlights from his remarks in each category:
Terrorism
Al Qaeda remains a persistent threat as it spreads into Yemen, Somalia and recruiting efforts inside the U.S., Thompson said. In Iraq, he said, he gives President Obama credit for following the established timetable and withdrawing combat troops from Iraq this summer. ‘Our goal, obviously — and we seem to be accomplishing that — is to allow the Iraqi people to govern themselves,’ he said. Thompson’s son is among the support troops remaining in Iraq.
Energy dependence
About 63 percent of the oil used in the U.S. is imported, a trend that sends billions of dollars overseas — including to U.S-unfriendly countries, Thompson said. Oil imports account for more than half of the U.S.’ $49 billion-a-month trade deficit, he said. And he said the habit carries a ‘missed opportunity’ for the U.S. to make better use of its own, domestic resources for energy production.
Thompson imagined how some of the billions sent overseas could be put to use in his own Congressional district, which includes rich deposits of oil and natural gas below the surface. He estimated that about 16 percent of the workforce in his district — the Fifth Congressional District — is out of work.
He said he supports the exploration and development of new energy resources; still, the reality is that renewable energy accounts for less than 10 percent of the country’s energy use at this point, Thompson said. He indicated that he does not support the offshore drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico, which he suggested shifts more dependence to overseas oil sources.
Food security
Too much agricultural land is left to sit idle due to wasteful government subsidy programs, Thompson said. And an overly complicated milk-pricing system has led dairy farmers to lose, on average, $100 per cow each month for the past two years, he said. The government sets milk prices.
Meanwhile, Thompson said, if steep estate taxes are reinstated next year, a family passing a farm from one generation to the next may be forced to pay a 45 percent levy. That threatens to take still more farms out of business, a trend that could force more reliance on imported food over which the U.S. has little control, Thompson said.
Debt
Both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for driving up the federal debt, now nearly $14 trillion, Thompson said. That amounts to some $43,000 for every person in the country.
‘What my generation is providing you, unfortunately, is a legacy of debt,’ he said. ‘It’s just not American.’
He said the Obama administration needs to present — and Congress needs to enact — a responsible budget. More than half the U.S. debt is held in other countries; China is the U.S.’ No. 1 creditor.
Thompson said he does not believe China will call those loans any time soon, as its economy is closely interwoven with the U.S. economy. But as China’s economy continues to grow, it’s likely to become less dependent and intertwined with the U.S. economy, and that could change the equation, Thompson said.
Border security
Patrols along the U.S. border with Mexico catch an estimated 10 percent of those trying to enter the country illegally, Thompson said. He said the U.S. needs immigrants, but that they need to enter the country legally. Illegal immigrants should be deported and ‘wait in line behind those (already) waiting patiently’ for access, he said.
Some of the audience gave Thompson a standing ovation upon the conclusion of his remarks. In the question-and-answer session, he shared several more perspectives. Among those: that voters will ‘hit the reset’ and support Republican candidates on Nov. 2; that the federal government needs to take spending back to pre-2008 budget levels; and that the government needs to address the rising expenses of entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare.
Thompson also criticized ‘Gasland,’ the recent documentary by Josh Fox that focuses on impacts of natural-gas drilling. ‘The fact is, there’s never been one documented case of fresh-water contamination from hydrofracking,’ he said, referring to a common drilling process.
He said Pennsylvania has hosted natural-gas compression stations and pipelines for generations. And some impacts from the drilling are ‘blown out of proportion,’ he said.
‘Let’s just say the state of Pennsylvania is making out like a bandit’ with natural-gas development, Thompson said.
Samuel Settle, chairman of the Penn State chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, presented Thompson with a YAF-branded shot glass at the end of his presentation.
‘Looks like a milk glass to me,’ Thompson said.
He is running for reelection this fall and is facing a challenge from Democratic nominee Michael Pipe, who, like Thompson, is a Penn State alumnus.
