The world has changed since Chuck first entered Congress. America's security needs have changed too. Chuck believes that a 21st century security policy must focus on fighting terrorism, supporting our allies in need, and using our power to defend our interests and values abroad.

• Combating Terrorism Before September 11: In the House, Chuck was a leader in the effort to create the 1996 Antiterrorism Act, and in the Senate pushed to have its provisions applied to "charity" organizations that operate in the US to raise money for terrorist groups like Hamas. He demanded that the State Department stop omitting Palestinian terrorists from its website offering rewards and information for the capture of those who are suspected of killing American citizens.
  
  
• Combating Terrorism Since September 11: Chuck wrote the money laundering provisions of the new antiterrorism bill passed after the September 11 terrorist attacks to shut down the financial operations of terrorist networks. Chuck also wrote legislation making terrorist hoaxes a federal crime, punishable by up to five years in prison. Working with Senator Clinton, Chuck wrote legislation permitting the FBI to share information with local law enforcement, hopefully leading to better federal-local cooperation. Chuck successfully inserted a provision in the antiterrorism bill increasing funding for more guards and new security measures for the border crossings between New York and Canada.
  
  
• Supporting Israel: Chuck traveled to Israel to demonstrate solidarity and consult with the leaders of the Middle East's only democracy. He called on the US to move its embassy to Jerusalem to end this discriminatory treatment of America's closest ally in a key area of the world. Chuck wants to see lasting peace and security in the region, but questions whether Yasser Arafat is interested in making peace. He denounced the continued use of hate rhetoric in Palestinian textbooks. After the bombings in Jerusalem and Haifa in November 2001, Chuck called on the United States and the rest of the world to give Israel the green light to eradicate terrorism.
  
  
• Sanctioning Rogue States: Chuck successfully fought to maintain the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act, ensuring that America will not abandon the struggle against governments who employ terror to accomplish their goals.
  
  
• Defending our Rights: Chuck recognizes that we defend our security in order to defend our values and must never allow our concern for the former to override the latter. That's why he opposed the Intelligence Authorization Act that would have had a chilling effect on free speech and undermined the core purpose of the first amendment.
  
  
• Peace for Vieques: Similarly, no group of Americans should need to bare more than their fair share of the burden of military preparedness, and Chuck has called for an immediate end to the bombing in Vieques.
  
  
• Help During Crises: As the world's sole superpower, Chuck believes that the United States has a responsibility to do what it can to help our allies in their times of need., and actively supported the use of US military cargo planes to deliver supplies for earthquake relief to El Salvador.
  
  
• Recognizing our Veterans: Chuck has been fighting to get the Congressional Medal of Honor for Henry Johnson. Johnson, an Albany native, served in the US Army from 1917 to 1919 but was not allowed to fight in an American combat unit overseas because he was an African-American. Seeking to serve his country, he joined a group of African American soldiers which came to be known as the "Harlem Hell-Fighters" who fought under the French flag. While on sentry duty on May 14, 1918, Johnson singlehandedly fought off a German raider party with rifle fire and hand-to hand combat. Despite sustaining 21 wounds, he kept his critically-injured sentry partner, Needham Roberts, from being captured by the Germans.

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