Senate Democrats Implement A Plan To Protect Syrian Refugee Program

The House easily passed a bill Thursday that would suspend the program allowing Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the US until key national security agencies certify they don’t pose a security risk.

The White House has not yet taken a position on the compromise, which was crafted from two separate bills that passed the House and Senate earlier this year.

Further, Senate minority leader Harry Reid has pledged to block the bill, taking advantage of the 60-vote supermajority required to start debate on legislation in the Senate.

“Speaker Ryan and this un-American bill’s supporters falsely claim it will simply pause USA resettlement of refugees”, said Karin Johanson, director of the ACLU’s Washington legislative office.

While I would never challenge Senator Reid’s political instincts, it does occur to me there is one gaping hole in the Democrats’ plan to save the Syrian/Iraq refugee program: a public relations campaign to humanize the refugees. Comey has told administration and congressional officials that the legislation would make it impossible to allow any refugees into the US, and could even affect the ability of travelers from about three dozen countries that are allowed easier travel to the USA under the visa waiver program, the officials say.

He said the rhetoric coming from Republicans – and a few Democrats – would only hurt the country’s security. “We’re still trying to get the Republicans to fund it. We are still pushing them to make it a five-year bill so we don’t have to rob Peter to save Paul”. The Hill reports that beyond keeping the House bill – and any other anti-refugee bill – from a vote, they will attempt to turn the political worm back on Republicans.

The Senate bill passed this summer with overwhelming support.

The approval was a triumph for Alexander and the other architects of the bill, Sen. Its latest iteration, S. 280, was reported favorably out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in May with bipartisan support in a vote of 12-1. While Republicans have focused on the 10,000 refugees from Syria whom President Obama wants to resettle domestically, Democrats argue they are already subject to rigorous vetting. Democrats and the White House strongly opposed such a change. “It’s clear where the American people are, and that’s what we’re going to need, and then of course we need a veto-proof majority”. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania) was named the chairman of the conference committee and vowed that the uncertainty surrounding highway funding and endless short-term extensions would soon be over. Nothing in federal law now prevents such a cap, but Bennet felt it was important for the Congress to “send a message” to states to think about ways to reduce overtesting, an aide said.