House Democrats on Thursday sent President Obama an unmistakable warning that they don’t trust his plan to resettle thousands of Syrian refugees in the United States, and that they need to hear more details about that plan.
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers voted with the GOP to overwhelmingly pass legislation that many would say would halt Obama’s plan to resettle 10,000 Syrians in the United States. The vote resulted in enough Democratic support to override a veto of the bill, which President Obama has promised.
Some Democrats told the Washington Examiner that the administration needs to bolster the program now in place for investigating the background of each refugee before they enter the country. Their concern comes amid polls showing a majority of Americans do not favor the plan to move Syrian refugees to the United States. A deadly terrorist attack in Paris a week ago included at least one person posing as a Syrian refugee.
“The administration has not done a good job in how these refugees are vetted,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., told the Examiner. “And people want to know about the process. They are sophisticated enough to understand.”
Even Democrats who didn’t support the GOP bill voted in favor of a Democratic alternative that would bolster the vetting process of all refugees. That alternative, sponsored by Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., would have strengthened the vetting process for all incoming refugees, but to a less stringent level than the level required by the GOP bill.
That measure failed because it lacked support from Republicans, who preferred the tougher vetting language in their legislation.
But by the time Democrats walked off the House floor and headed out the exits for the Thanksgiving recess, their message to Obama was clear: We don’t trust the refugee screening process.
Pascrell said Democrats are fearful enough to quash a presidential veto. “I think they would probably override it on this issue,” Pascrell said.
The Democratic revolt came after a private briefing Thursday from White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. The two officials, according to one Democrat, “brought more questions than they answered.”
Pelosi said McDonough and Johnson simply reported the “reality” to Democrats about the review process for incoming refugees.
A few hours after the Obama administration officials departed, the House voted 289-137 to pass the “Safe Act.” That total was made possible with the help of 47 Democrats, a strong enough showing to signify a party rebuke to Obama’s refugee resettlement plan.
A two-thirds vote will be needed to override Obama’s veto, if it comes to that, and Thursday’s vote shows an override is a possibility.
The House-passed bill essentially blocks new Syrian and Iraqi refugees by ratcheting up the vetting process to a level that intelligence officials say is currently untenable. In order for any Syrian or Iraqi refugee to gain entry into the United States, the FBI, Homeland Security and office of the Director of National Intelligence would have to first certify the person is not a terrorism or security threat.
Pelosi opposed the GOP bill on the same grounds the Obama administration opposed it. “You cannot have thousands of applications reviewed by the top law enforcement people in our country,” she said. “It is an obstacle to the resettlement program.”
But even she acknowledged that Obama’s resettlement plan needs a “review.”
