Kentucky Politicians Respond To President’s ISIS Plan

The President offered a strategy to eliminate a terrorist group called ISIS, ISIL, and the Islamic State.  ISIS holds territory from Syria into Iraq, and the group has already killed two Americans.

Everybody we spoke with agreed ISIS is a threat, but not everybody agreed how to eliminate the threat.

The President’s plan called for 500 troops to go to Iraq.  They won’t be sent to fight, but rather to train Iraqi forces and moderate Syrian rebels fighting ISIS. 

The President wants to expand airstrikes in Iraq and into Syria.  Mitch McConnell, speaking from the Senate floor, expects any strategy to take years.

"This Congress, the next Congress, and the next administration have serious work ahead as we consider this multi-year commitment and what it will take to defeat ISIL," said U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell. 

Alison Lundergan Grimes is running for McConnell’s Senate seat.

"I remain opposed to the use of American ground forces.  We must work to build a broad coalition that, includes our allies in the region, to provide support and share responsibility and cost for defeating ISIS," said Grimes.

Representative Andy Barr heard a confidential briefing Thursday afternoon about ISIS.  Barr said the terrorist group has access to millions of dollars a day, a large supply of weapons, and thousands of members with western passports.  He spoke with us from Washington.

"I am concerned that the strategy they have outlined is not going to be sufficient to meet the threat that ISIL poses, but I will say that inaction is something we cannot tolerate," said Rep. Barr.

His challenger, Elisabeth Jensen, wants the air strikes succeed.

"I hope that it doesn’t involve boots on the ground.  I hope that we can do it with as few Americans as possible, but we need to do whatever it takes to get it done," said Jensen.

As we remember what happened 13 years ago on September, 11th Barr called ISIS a greater threat than Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.