Rep. Doug Collins said Thursday that ground troops may be needed to fight ISIS terrorists in the Middle East, but he hopes that those troops will come from countries in the region.<br />
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"We should be providing intelligence support to the Iraqis, the Kurds and the Syrians," he said. "But we need to let them take ownership of this fight, and if they don't take ownership, that's a problem that we will have to deal with. (The U.S.) can't be the lead force on the ground."<br />
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Collins, R-Gainesville, made his remarks at a meeting of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce board of directors. During his comments, he talked about the fight against terrorism and updated the chamber on economic and budget issues in Washington.<br />
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Later, in an interview with WDUN, Collins said he was happy to see so many Arab nations are part of the U.S. coalition against ISIS. But he expressed concerned about whether that coalition can hold together.<br />
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"What is their actual involvement?" Collins asked about the Arab nations. "They've got to take ownership of this fight. I think they are beginning to understand that. This is a group that is indiscriminate about who they will kill. They'll kill a Muslim as quickly as they'll kill a Christian."<br />
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Following reports that ISIS cells have been identified in Australia, Collins said he is concerned the cells could come to the U.S., particularly because of how easy it is to cross the border with Mexico. <br />
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He is also concerned that American citizens and others who have trained with ISIS can easily slip back into the country with their passports. That's why Collins introduced legislation to suspend the Visa waiver program, which allows residents of certain countries to enter the U.S. without a visa.<br />
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"There are people out there who want to use the international travel system to advance a war, and we need to stop them in their tracks," Collins said.<br />
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On the subject of Attorney General Eric Holder's resignation, Collins told WDUN he was "very pleased."<br />
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"He should have been gone a long time ago," the congressman said. "He's long been one of the problems in Washington, D.C., the subjects of many scandals. There was a lack of accountability, and I'm glad he is leaving."<br />
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In his remarks to the chamber, Collins discussed gridlock in Congress, saying the House of Representatives had passed more than 300 bills, including more than a half dozen appropriations bills, in the last session. The Senate acted on none of them, he said.<br />
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"That's not the way it supposed to work," he said. "You don't have to like our ideas, so tell us your ideas. But you should have to have a discussion about the ideas so that we can get things done for the American people."<br />
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Collins said only seven or eight cents of every dollar collected by Washington is used on discretionary spending, which makes it difficult for Congress to make meaningful spending cuts. Collins said Congress and the President must be willing to talk about the complicated issues of spending, particularly where entitlement programs, Social Security and Medicaid are concerned.<br />
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"We have to have serious conversations about these issues and find places where we can make cuts. If we'll have these conversations, we can do this without causing hardships for people.<br />
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He added that if Republicans take control of the Senate in the midterm elections, he believes Sen. Paul Ryan will quickly move to begin a serious look at tax reform.<br />
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<i>(The complete interview with Doug Collins will air during WDUN's "Afternoon News Wrap" at 5 p.m. Friday.)</i><br />
