Key Republicans and Democrats in the Senate indicated that more support is building to either “pause” President Obama’s plan to resettle Syrian refugees in the United States, or to at least learn more about that plan in a classified setting.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters the government is not able to adequately vet refugees and prevent terrorists from entering the country, and that he wants a delay.
“At the very least it strikes me that we need a pause or a moratorium because the American people are quite concerned and upset at the possibility of terrorists coming into this country through some kind of refugee program,” McConnell said.
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Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., stopped short of calling for a halt to the resettlement program, but left open the door to suspending the initiative, and said he wants to hear more about the specifics of the plan in a classified briefing.
Reid said he has already spoken to the Obama administration about bolstering the vetting process for refugees entering the United States.”The White House has indicated to me they are looking at this,” Reid said, adding, “Congress has an important role to play.”
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the number-three Democrat who is poised to succeed Reid in 2017, said a pause in the program “may be necessary,” but that senators first want to hear what the Obama Administration has to say at the classified briefing.
Earlier Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan called on Obama to halt his plan, which would allow up to 10,000 Syrian refugees to move to the United States.
The migrants are flooding Europe as they flee war and poor economic circumstances. At least one migrant participated in the deadly Paris terrorist attacks last week.
McConnell said he has conferred with Ryan and the White House on legislation addressing the Syrian resettlement.
“We’ll see what they are open to,” McConnell said of the White House. McConnell said “there is certainly a possibility” a provision to stop the resettlement could be added to must-pass spending legislation before the end of the year.
“It’s pretty clear how the American people feel about this,” McConnell said, noting the governors who have announced they do not want to accept refugees in their states. “There is broad concern about this.”
