CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2015: on Homeland Security

Chris Christie: Syrian refugees cannot be vetted; don't allow any into US

CHRISTIE: First of all, the FBI director himself said they can't vet these folks. Secondly, we had a woman who was wearing an explosive vest in Paris who blew herself up when approached by police this week.

Q: The police actually have said that, as they have studied that crime scene further, she was not wearing a suicide vest, although her role with the terrorists is still unknown. CHRISTIE: [With vetting orphans], I don't understand the distinction, quite frankly. And what we need to do is to protect the homeland first.

Chris Christie: Re-start metadata collection; boost morale of intel officers

CHRISTIE: I will highlight that we were wrong to cut back on the NSA's metadata collection and that its been destroying the morale of our intelligence officers. We need to rebuild that program. We need to support law enforcement, which this administration hasn't been doing. We need to do all those things first and foremost to protect the homeland, because the number one job of the president of the United States is to protect the safety and security of the American people. National security is not an option. It's a fundamental right. And that's what we will be focused on.

Chris Christie: Obama created refugee crisis; now burdens Americans with it

CHRISTIE: This is part of the problem with this administration. They're an imperial administration that just decides they're going to place people in individual states and not even inform the state of government of the fact that they have done it. And they're placing them through nongovernmental organizations and not giving any information to the state governments. We should set up a safe haven in Syria, so these folks don't have to leave their country in the first place. This is something that the president has created and now he wants the American people to absorb this crisis that he has created.

Jeb Bush: Let military experts determine troop count

BUSH: I would listen to the military commanders and give them the mission, which is, how do we destroy ISIS? It is Islamic terrorism. It's not a law enforcement engagement. And listen to them and then develop a clear strategy. I can't tell you the force levels required to do this. I do know that it has to be done in unison with our allies. We can't do this alone, but we must lead.

Donald Trump: We have a problem with radical Muslims

TRUMP: Well, you know, we could be politically correct, if you want. But, certainly, are you trying to say we don't have a problem? We do have a problem with radical Muslims. As I have already said; I have tremendous people that I know that are Muslims.

Donald Trump: Fix veteran's hospitals, and pay private doctors for them

A: One of the things I would do is fix the hospitals. What I'm going to do is make sure that they will be able to go out and use private doctors and we will pay the private doctors. We're going to do a bit of a free market thing so that veterans can get immediate service and good treatment.

John Kasich: Expand voucher program for veterans' healthcare

A: I first of all think that we need to expand the voucher program so a veteran can get the health care they need as soon as they can possibly get it and should not be just limited to the VA hospitals. Secondly, my sense is you're going to have to decentralize the VA.

James Webb: I opened up more billets to Navy women than anyone

A: If you look at my record as a government official, when I was secretary of the Navy, I opened up more billets to women than any secretary of the Navy in history. And I am totally comfortable now with the military being able to make these decisions in a way that it goes to performance and I am very proud to see these two women who are West Point graduates. And the military should be able to decide how they will be used.

John Kasich: Make a coalition to fight ISIS in Syria

A: I would be working to get other countries to jump in and join us. I don't want to go alone. Let me tell you what I would do. Firstly, I would have supported the rebels in Syria that were in there to topple Assad. Secondly, I would have a coalition of other countries, including us, on the ground beginning to degrade and destroy ISIS, because, as you begin to do it, that whole caliphate beings to fall apart.

John Kasich: Run drone program out of Pentagon, not the CIA

A: Well, I don't believe the drone program ought to be run out of the CIA. The CIA is an intelligence-gathering operation. The drone program should be operated exclusively out of the Pentagon. You know, the Air Force has the capability of doing extensive targeting. You don't have those capabilities in the CIA. And I have talked to former CIA people who have told me this.

Rand Paul: 2010: decrease DOD budget by $164B; 2015: increase by $190B

PAUL: I have proposed several 5-year budgets. And for me, the most important thing of the 5-year budgets has been to balance. The last one I produced did actually increase defense spending above the military sequester. But I did it by taking money from domestic spending. My belief has always been that national defense is the most important thing we do, but we shouldn't borrow to pay for it.

Q: But by proposing an increase in military spending before you announce for president, it could look like pandering.

PAUL: Well, 3 or 4 years ago, we did the same thing. So we have been for quite some time proposing increases in military spending, but always the point is that I believe any increase in spending should be offset by decreases in spending somewhere else.