Wilson Statement on ISIL Presidential Address

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) issued the following statement in anticipation of President Obama's address this evening regarding the situation in the Middle East.

"The security threat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses to American families, the Middle East, and our Allies around the world deserves decisive action. As terrorists continue to slaughter innocent civilians and vengefully decapitate American journalists boasting of further attacks in America, I am hopeful the President will finally stand up for freedom instead of offering empty promises and weak rhetoric that lack resolve.

"For years, scholars and foreign policy analysts have warned of expanding terrorist safe havens in the Middle East. The President ignored these concerns and mistakenly withdrew our troops from Iraq without securing a Status of Forces Agreement, which has put Americans at risk of attack at home and abroad.

"The only way forward is effectively destroy ISIL and make it known throughout the world that terrorist organizations that seek to destroy the American people and our Allies will not be tolerated. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, I will continue to closely monitor this situation and make certain that our interests in the Middle East remain protected."