59–006 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 114–424 

NATIONAL STRATEGY TO COMBAT TERRORIST TRAVEL 

ACT OF 2016 

FEBRUARY 23, 2016.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. MCCAUL, from the Committee on Homeland Security, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 4408] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 4408) to require the development of a national strategy 

to combat terrorist travel, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 

recommend that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose and Summary ............................................................................................ 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 3 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 4 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 4 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 4 

New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures ............. 4 

Congressional Budget Office Estimate ................................................................... 4 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 5 

Duplicative Federal Programs ................................................................................ 5 

Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits ... 5 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 5 

Preemption Clarification ......................................................................................... 5 

Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings ..................................................................... 5 

Advisory Committee Statement .............................................................................. 5 

Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................................ 7 

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 7 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 8 


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PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

The purpose of H.R. 4408 is to require the development of a national strategy to combat terrorist travel, and for other purposes. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

In September 2015, the final report of the Committee on Homeland Security’s Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign 

Fighter Travel was published. The report, produced by a bipartisan 

panel, included 32 findings and more than 50 recommendations for 

enhancing U.S. security. Among other conclusions, the Task Force 

report found that the U.S. government lacks a comprehensive strategy for combating terrorist and foreign fighter travel—and has 

failed to maintain a comprehensive system for identifying and plugging related vulnerabilities in America’s defenses. The Task Force 

report found that hundreds of programs, projects, and initiatives 

have sprouted up to combat terrorist travel since 9/11, but without 

an overarching strategy to coordinate them, the United States may 

be wasting taxpayer dollars and failing to allocate resources where 

they are needed most. Indeed, lack of a strategy not only increases 

the risk terrorists might exploit weaknesses in the U.S. travel system, but also raises the prospect of waste, overlap, and duplication 

between agencies. 

It has been nearly a decade since the Executive Branch produced 

a whole-of-government plan to constrain terrorist movements. In 

its 2004 final report, the 9/11 Commission recommended the 

United States develop ‘‘a strategy to intercept terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain terrorist mobility.’’ That 

year, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which mandated such a plan, required the Administration to explain how it would be implemented, and called for an assessment of vulnerabilities in U.S. and foreign travel systems that 

could be exploited by terrorists and violent extremists. The result 

was the 2006 National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel. It has 

not been updated since. 

The 2006 Strategy is woefully outdated. Some of the programs 

identified under the Strategy are no longer operational and new 

programs that have been stood up since 2006 are not included. The 

evolving threat environment has also made the document obsolete. 

For instance, the Strategy makes no mention of foreign fighters or 

the challenges associated with violent extremists’ social media recruiting. 

There appears to be no comprehensive accounting of terroristtravel programs in the U.S. Government or any systematic Government-wide effort to identify gaps between them. The President’s 

2011 National Strategy for Counterterrorism makes little mention 

of the subject of terrorist travel aside from noting the United 

States will work with foreign partners to ‘‘identify terrorist 

operatives and prevent their travel . . . across national borders 

and within states.’’ A full audit of America’s terror-travel preventative and protective measures should be produced, given that the 

current Administration has identified ‘‘disrupting the flow of foreign fighters’’ as one of its top priorities in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). 


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H.R. 4408 requires the President to submit to Congress a strategy focused on intercepting terrorists and foreign fighters and making their travel more difficult. The strategy must include an accounting of all U.S. Government programs to constrain terrorist 

travel, identify vulnerabilities and how they will be mitigated, and 

describe actions to eliminate waste, overlap, and duplication of efforts. The bill requires such a strategy in the first year of each 

Presidential term, accompanied by annual implementation plans. 

HEARINGS

The Committee did not hold any hearings on H.R. 4408, however, 

the Committee held the following oversight hearings: 

On February 11, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled 

‘‘Countering Violent Islamist Extremism: The Urgent Threat of 

Foreign Fighters and Homegrown Terror.’’ The Committee received 

testimony from Hon. Francis X. Taylor, Under Secretary, Intelligence and Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Hon. 

Nicholas J. Rasmussen, Director, National Counterterrorism Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and Mr. Michael 

B. Steinbach, Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. 

On March 24, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled ‘‘A 

Global Battleground: The Fight Against Islamist Extremism at 

Home and Abroad.’’ The Committee received testimony from Hon. 

Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; General Michael Hayden (USAF-Ret.), Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency and Former Director, National Security 

Agency; Mr. Philip Mudd, Senior Fellow, New America Foundation; 

and Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Adviser to the RAND President, The RAND Corporation. 

On June 3, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled ‘‘Terrorism Gone Viral: The Attack in Garland, Texas and Beyond.’’ The 

Committee received testimony from Mr. John J. Mulligan, Deputy 

DirectorNational Counterterrorism Center; Hon. Francis X. Taylor, 

Under Secretary, Intelligence and Analysis, U.S. Department of 

Homeland Security; and Mr. Michael B. Steinbach, Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 

U.S. Department of Justice. 

On July 15, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled ‘‘The 

Rise of Radicalization: Is the U.S. Government Failing to Counter 

International and Domestic Terrorism?’’ The Committee received 

testimony from Ms. Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council 

on Foreign Relations; Mr. Seamus Hughes, Deputy Director, Program on Extremism, Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, 

George Washington University; and Mr. J. Richard Cohen, President, Southern Poverty Law Center. 

On September 8, 2015, the Committee held a field hearing in 

New York City, New York entitled ‘‘Beyond Bin Laden’s Caves and 

Couriers to A New Generation of Terrorists: Confronting the Challenges in a Post 9/11 World.’’ The Committee received testimony 

from Hon. Rudolph ‘‘Rudy’’ W. Giuliani, Former Mayor, City of New 

York, New York; Mr. William J. Bratton, Commissioner, Police Department, City of New York, New York; Mr. Daniel A. Nigro, Commissioner, Fire Department, City of New York, New York; Mr. Lee 

A. Ielpi, President, September 11th Families Association; and Mr. 


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Gregory A. Thomas, National President, National Organization of 

Black Law Enforcement Executives. 

On October 21, 2015, the Committee held a hearing entitled 

‘‘Worldwide Threats and Homeland Security Challenges.’’ The Committee received testimony from Hon. Jeh C. Johnson, Secretary, 

Department of Homeland Security; Hon. Nicholas J. Rasmussen, 

Director, The National Counterterrorism Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and Hon. James B. Comey, Director, 

Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. 

On November 18, 2015, the Committee on Homeland Security 

and the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a joint hearing entitled 

‘‘The Rise of Radicalism: Growing Terrorist Sanctuaries and the 

Threat to the U.S. Homeland.’’ The Committees received testimony 

from Hon. Matthew G. Olsen, Co-Founder and President, Business 

Development and Strategy, IronNet Cybersecurity; Gen. John M. 

Keane (Ret. U.S. Army), Chairman of the Board, Institute for the 

Study of War; and Mr. Peter Bergen, Vice President, Director 

International Security and Fellows Programs, New America. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

The Committee met on February 2, 2016, to consider H.R. 4408, 

and ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a favorable recommendation, without amendment, by voice vote. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments thereto. 

No recorded votes were requested during consideration of H.R. 

4408. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee has held oversight hearings and 

made findings that are reflected in this report. 

NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX

EXPENDITURES

In compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee finds that H.R. 4408, the 

National Strategy to Combact Terrorist Travel Act of 2016, would 

result in no new or increased budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or revenues. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE

The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by 

the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 


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U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, February 19, 2016. 

Hon. MICHAEL MCCAUL, 

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4408, the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 2016. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark Grabowicz. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 4408—National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 

2016 

H.R. 4408 would require the Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS), within 180 days of the bill’s enactment, to transmit to the 

Congress a strategy to disrupt the domestic and international travel of terrorists. This report would describe existing programs to 

combat terrorist travel, identify current vulnerabilities that could 

be exploited by enemies of the United States, and include a plan 

to implement protective actions. During the seven-year period after 

enactment, H.R. 4408 would require DHS to update the strategy 

within 180 days of the beginning of a new presidential administration. For 10 years after enactment, DHS would have to update the 

implementation plan annually. 

Based on information from DHS, CBO estimates that the reports 

and implementation plans required by H.R. 4408 would cost less 

than $500,000 annually and would be subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds. Any costs in subsequent years to carry out 

those plans for additional equipment or personnel, for example— 

would be attributable to separate legislation. Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, payas-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting 

H.R. 4408 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 

2027. 

H.R. 4408 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. The 

estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Assistant Director for 

Budget Analysis. 

STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, H.R. 4408 contains the following general performance goals and objectives, including outcome related goals and 

objectives authorized. 

The goal of H.R. 4408 is to require the President of the United 

States to issue a national strategy to combat terrorist travel with 

the aim of identifying and strengthening U.S. Government efforts 


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to intercept terrorists and foreign fighters and to make it harder 

for such persons to travel domestically and internationally. The bill 

seeks to ensure that U.S. Government counterterrorism defenses 

are adaptable to threat environment changes, including changes in 

terrorist and foreign fighter tactics to evade detection. However, in 

order to identify vulnerabilities, the U.S. Government must first 

regularly catalogue and assess existing efforts to combat terrorist 

travel and the gaps in such efforts. Accordingly, the bill requires 

the President and subsequent administrations to conduct such a 

Government-wide audit and include it in the strategy. H.R. 4408 

requires the President’s strategy to delineate how security 

vulnerabilities will be addressed, how resources will be prioritized 

in a risk-based manner, and how existing programs will be adjusted or streamlined, in addition to any new efforts proposed. The 

bill requires the submission of implementation plans to ensure that 

the strategy is acted upon and that the U.S. government regularly 

seeks to strengthen U.S. protections against terrorist travel. 

DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds that 

H.R. 4408 does not contain any provision that establishes or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another Federal program. 

CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED

TARIFF BENEFITS

In compliance with rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 

clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the rule XXI. 

FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 

pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

In compliance with section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act 

of 1974, requiring the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 

resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the bill or 

joint resolution is intended to preempt State, local, or Tribal law, 

the Committee finds that H.R. 4408 does not preempt any State, 

local, or Tribal law. 

DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTED RULE MAKINGS

The Committee estimates that H.R. 4408 would require no directed rule makings. 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this legislation. 


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APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the 

terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or 

accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides that this bill may be cited as the ‘‘National 

Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 2016’’. 

Sec. 2. National strategy to combact terrorist travel 

Subsection (a)—Sense of Congress 

This subsection asserts a sense of Congress that it should be the 

policy of the United States to: regularly assess the evolving terrorist threat to the United States; catalogue existing efforts by the 

Federal Government to obstruct terrorist and foreign fighter travel; 

identify existing efforts that may benefit from reform or consolidation, or require elimination; identify potential security 

vulnerabilities related to terrorist travel; and prioritize resources to 

address any such vulnerabilities. 

Subsection (b)—National strategy and updates 

This subsection requires the President to submit to Congress a 

national strategy to combat terrorist travel, which shall address efforts to intercept terrorists and foreign fighters and make it harder 

for such persons to travel domestically and internationally. The 

strategy must account for all U.S. Government programs to constrain terrorist and foreign fighter travel, identify specific security 

vulnerabilities and how they will be closed, and describe actions to 

streamline any such security efforts or programs. 

The Committee believes the strategy should include a focus on 

programs and activities related to ‘‘identification and prevention’’ 

and ‘‘detection and disruption.’’ The former could include intelligence collection on terror suspects and their movements, information sharing at all levels of government and with foreign partners, 

watchlisting, counter-finance, countering violent extremism (CVE) 

activities, and other relevant efforts. The latter could include transportation security, border security, traveler screening, document security, law enforcement interdiction, legal systems, and other relevant efforts. 

The President is required to direct the Secretary of Homeland 

Security to develop the national strategy. If necessary, the President shall also direct the heads of other Federal agencies to coordinate with the Secretary to develop the strategy. 

The Committee recommends the President direct the following to 

participate in the development of the strategy: the Secretary of 

State, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of National Intelligence. 

The initial national strategy must be submitted to Congress 

within 180 days after the enactment of this Act. Subsequent updates are due to Congress within the first 180 days of each new 

presidential administration. 


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The requirement to transmit the updated national strategy to 

Congress terminates seven years after the date of enactment of this 

Act. 

Subsection (c)—Development of implementation plans 

This subsection requires the President to direct the Secretary of 

Homeland Security to develop an implementation plan for the Department of Homeland Security for each national strategy required 

under subsection (b). The Secretary is also required to coordinate 

with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies to ensure each 

agency develops its own implementation plan. 

At a minimum, the Committee expects the President direct the 

following agency and department heads to develop implementation 

plans for submission to Congress: the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of National Intelligence. 

Subsection (d)—Implementation plans 

This subsection requires the President to submit implementation 

plans to Congress for each national strategy. The implementation 

plans are to be submitted simultaneously with the initial and updated strategies and then updated and submitted annually thereafter. 

The Committee believes that each implementation plan should 

include actions to be taken by the relevant department or agency 

to address specific security vulnerabilities which may include reforming, improving, and streamlining existing government efforts 

to align with the current threat environment; new programs, 

projects, or activities related to combating terrorist and foreign 

fighter travel; new authorities implemented or changes in existing 

authorities needed from Congress; and specific budget adjustments 

made or being requested to enhance U.S. security in a risk-based 

manner. 

The requirement to transmit implementation plans to Congress 

terminates ten years after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Subsection (e)—Prohibition on additional funding 

This subsection requires the development of the national strategy 

and accompanying implementation plans required under this Act to 

be prepared using funds already appropriated or made available to 

the Department of Homeland Security. 

Subsection (f)—Definition 

This subsection defines the term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

As reported, H.R. 4408 makes no changes to existing law. 

Æ 


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