The Islamic State (ISIS) is a threat to the United States, and it's a threat that the Obama administration isn't taking very seriously, says Texas Rep. Michael McCaul.
"We have 50,000 ISIS strong and growing. The propaganda film, which is almost like a Hollywood horror film, will inflame more recruits to come in . . . there are about 15,000 to 20,000 foreign fighters " and those members include about "5,000 with western passports," McCaul, who is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told Bob Schieffer on
"Face the Nation"on CBS News Sunday morning.
According to the Texas Republican, there have been "hundreds of Americans that have traveled to fight in the region [and] some of those have returned.
"Talk about barbarians at the gate," he added.
"We need to keep them out of the gate, we need to monitor those who got through the gate," he explained. "This is a serious homeland security issue as well. We don't want to see what happened in Paris happen here in the United States."
However, the Texas Republican says that one of the problems is that the Obama administration has "never" taken the threat from ISIS very seriously.
"They won't even define the enemy for what it is and that is radical Islamist extremism," he explained.
"The airstrikes have been limited, have had limited success. It's a policy of containment — not a policy to degrade, and destroy the enemy," he said.
Jordan began bombing ISIS following the brutal killing of its captured pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh, in which he was burned alive as shown by a video released by the terror group.
While the Jordanians have began to retaliate against the ISIS militants, McCaul says that this is also the "United States' fight because we don't want them to attack us here on the homeland."
The House Homeland Security chairman says he hopes that the brutal killing of the Jordanian pilot will serve to help "galvanize these Arab nations" against ISIS.
President Barack Obama is expected to ask Congress to approve the use of military force against ISIS, which he has so far justified based on congressional authority given to former President George W. Bush following that terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The president is expected to gain more support for authority to strike ISIS from Republicans than those in his own party.
While the authority will not mean that the United States will put boots on the ground, according to Republicans, it will allow for the president to deploy 20,000 troops if the Obama administration deems that it is necessary.
"There's no ground force in Syria . . . [and] the airstrikes are not sufficient to date to take care of and take out ISIS right now," McCaul added.
Jordan's government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani told CBS Sunday that "at his point, coalition members are not speaking about boots on the ground,"
However, he said that "this is a war" and "if circumstances change, we will discuss it at that time."
Watch video here.