Earnest: Cutting off ISIL’s Funding Has Been a ‘Core Component’ of Our Strategy

ROBINSON: "... Has the United States made progress in shutting off this flow of money from our allied countries that go to advance and support this sort of murderous philosophy?"

EARNEST: "You asked a good question because that is another core component of our strategy and it doesn’t get as much attention as the very courageous work that our men and women in uniform are doing over there. But the fact is shutting off the funding for ISIL has been a core component of our strategy and we have received great cooperation from nations all around the world, including nations in the region in trying to shut down the efforts for ISIL to raise funds, whether that's by taking hostages and extorting ransoms or trying to illicitly sell oil on the black market -- that we've had made some progress on that. We also put in place sanctions regime trying to target some of those individuals that facilitate the transfer of funds. So we have made a lot of important progress there and this is a core component of our strategy that requires the careful coordination and cooperation of countries in the region and around the globe, and we have received that cooperation. But that is going to continue to be a core component of our strategy."