Dem Explains Real Reason He Voted For House Refugee Bill
One of the 47 House Democrats who voted with Republicans for a bill Thursday imposing new rules on the intake of Syrian and Iraqi refugees said he decided to support the measure only after he concluded it wouldn’t stop President Barack Obama’s resettlement plan.
The bill would require the heads of the FBI, DHS and national intelligence agency to certify each refugee admitted from Iraq or Syria is not a national security threat before admitting them into the U.S. for resettlement. So long as they’re willing to provide that guarantee, the bill does nothing to limit the number of refugees admitted. And no changes to the vetting process are required aside from the guarantee.
Read more: Dem Explains Real Reason He Voted For House Refugee Bill – here
Too Weak’: Republican Who Voted Against Refugee Bill Speaks Out
Congress’ “feel-good” bill the House passed Thursday to tighten Syrian refugee screening is “weak” and an effort to stop members from defunding the program, one of the two Republicans that voted against the measure told a local radio show.
“I think the reason that this bill came up, and, as weak as it is, is to stop any effort by members of Congress, including myself, that would like to defund the budget of the program to bring in 10,000 Syrians,” North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones told Viewpoints on The Talk Station. “And I think that my leadership is complicit in that. I don’t like saying that. I really do not like to say that.”
Read more: Too Weak’: Too Weak’: Republican Who Voted Against Refugee Bill Speaks Out – here