Posted on 11/19/2015 12:26:21 PM PST by xzins
In a stinging rebuke to President Barack Obama by Republicans and Democrats, the House ignored a veto threat Thursday and overwhelmingly approved GOP legislation erecting fresh hurdles for Syrian and Iraqi refugees trying to enter the United States.
Forty-seven Democrats joined all but two Republicans as the House passed the measure by a veto-proof 289-137 margin, a major setback to the lame duck president on an issue —the Islamic State group and the refugees fleeing it — that shows no signs of easing. The vote exceeded the two-thirds majority required to override a veto, and came despite a rushed, early morning visit to the Capitol by senior administration officials in a futile attempt to limit Democratic defections.
Thursday's roll call came six days after a burst of bombings and shootings in Paris killed 129 people, wounded many more and revived post-9/11 jitters in the U.S. and Europe. The attacks have turned the question of admitting people fleeing war-torn Syria and Iraq into a high-stakes political issue in both the United States and Europe, and many congressional Democrats were willing to vote against Obama for fear of angering voters nervous about security at home.
Democrats opposing the GOP bill said the U.S. has no business abandoning its age-old values, including being a safe haven for people fleeing countries racked by violence. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks and controls vast swathes of Syria and Iraq, despite a growing military campaign against them by the U.S. and other nations.
"Defeating terrorism should not mean slamming the door in the faces of those fleeing the terrorists. We might as well take down the Statue of Liberty," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
Republicans said that in dangerous times, the government must first protect its own.
"It is against the values of our nation and the values of a free society to give terrorists the opening they are looking for" by not tightening entry restrictions, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
The 47 Democrats who backed the bill, largely moderates and lawmakers facing potentially tough re-elections, were joined by 242 Republicans. Voting no were 135 Democrats and two Republicans, North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones and Iowa Rep. Steve King.
Before Thursday's House vote, the White House sent chief of staff Denis McDonough and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to the Capitol to try winning over Democrats. Democratic aides said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., had a forceful exchange with Johnson, saying that opposition to the bill would be a terrible vote for Democrats that could cost them seats in next year's elections.
With the House's 246 Republicans ready to solidly support the legislation, the administration was eager to keep the final tally for the bill below the two-thirds margin required to override a veto. In a sign of the conflicting political undercurrents confronting Democrats, senior House Democrats said they did not push rank-and-file lawmakers to oppose the bill.
"I've said to them from the start, 'Nobody's asked you to do anything. Do whatever works for you, for your district,'" House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who opposed the legislation, told journalists.
Freshman Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., who faces a tough re-election fight next year, called the Paris attacks "a game changer" and supported the bill, saying, "I cannot sit back and ignore the concerns of my constituents and the American public."
The measure, which in effect would suspend admissions of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, would require the FBI to conduct background checks on people coming to the U.S. from those countries. It would oblige the heads of the FBI and Homeland Security Department and the director of national intelligence to certify to Congress that each refugee "is not a threat to the security of the United States."
On the campaign trail, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. should welcome refugees from the region and bolster America's defenses and intelligence operations.
On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who hasn't yet scheduled debate on the issue, said Thursday it is time "to press pause" so policy makers could decide whether adequate vetting procedures are in place, calling it "the most responsible thing for the administration to do."
Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he's been disgusted by the comments from Republicans he labeled "fear-mongering and bigotry."
In a statement assuring a veto, the White House said the GOP bill would not improve Americans' security. It said the legislation "would unacceptably hamper our efforts to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom are victims of terrorism, and would undermine our partners in the Middle East and Europe in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis."
The refugee screening process typically takes 18 to 24 months and includes interviews, fingerprinting and database crosschecks by several federal agencies. Syrians undergo additional screening involving data from the U.N. Refugee Agency and interviews by Homeland Security Department officials trained to question Syrians.
The Obama administration wants to increase the 70,000 refugees to be admitted from around the world this year by 10,000, with much of the increase for Syrians.
The White House said that of 2,174 Syrians admitted to the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, none has been arrested or deported because of allegations they harbored extremist ambitions.
This bill only is there to give them cover. No one in the gov has info on all these people. This bill just pushes the vetting onto the agencies. This gives them cover if there is an attack and gives Ob1 the ok to continue. No matter what the pundits and news articles say. Ob1 did not get shafted, we did.
I expect it to die in the senate depending on which states held by democrats are up for election next year.
It is these agencies that said they couldn’t do the vetting.
Don't get your hopes up folks Bitch McConnell will fold up like a cheap accordion yet again.
If it passes, it will be just another law for Obama to violate.
I don’t care what you say, this is good news.
Call it a start.
Really good point that escaped me...sure it has others.
290 is the number needed to over ride the veto.
67 in senate.
Thanks. So I’m right. They are one vote short.
Is it 2/3 of the House or is it 2/3 of those who actually cast a yea or nay vote?
“Actually, I’m fine with 3 year old orphans. They have no moms, no dads, and no memory.”
That’s a good point, for the short term. Let Americans adopt true orphans. But I worry about when adoptees get older. Quite often they want to investigate, and return to, their roots. I say we don’t want to take that chance.
I’m referring to Obama’s statement that we’re afraid of 3 year old orphans. I don’t think so.
First, I’m not afraid.
Second, I’m in favor of an active protection scheme against female and male sleeper agents. IIRC, at least one female was part of the Paris attack.
Political theater and we’re the losers.
We’ll see. If it does become law, it goes to the agencies to implement. Which is another way of saying the executive gets to decide on the standards. The only saving grace is the agencies don’t want this tar baby: they’ll delay implementation. Hopefully for a decade or two.
...and also takes away the states denying the feds to house them in there states. we don’t want them and the gov again, shoves it down our throat.
Actually, Mitch is screwed on this one. He has to let some version of the bill reach the Senate, because those two Bowling Green AQ camel jockeys had freaking SAMs in a rent-a-locker and frankly, that story has never gotten enough play. Gov-elect Bevin could roll the Turtle like a courthouse drunk in 2020.
"BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) -- How does the rest of Bowling Green feel about having had terrorists living in their own back yard?Since the ABC News investigation showed a flawed U.S. system of background checks could be the cause."
I don’t think the states have much of a leg to stand on anyway. Immigration is a Federal function and while the states can choose to not participate, they can’t really do much if the Feds let them in.
Its all academic in any case: for all the posturing and fine words, the states will do nothing. They’re willing stooges. Just more political theater for public consumption.
“Voting no were 135 Democrats and two Republicans, North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones and Iowa Rep. Steve King.”
Jones is RINO swine (”ex” dem with Pat Buchanan/Ron Paulish flavor), probably the worst one in the House who isn’t from a lib state like NY. So not surprised. Disgusted but not surprised. I hope freepers remember this, some people SUPPORTED him in the last primary (and while freepers were gunning for the likes of Elmers, no one was taking up his challenger) because they regard him as “anti-establishment” and he voted no on Boehner. He’s to the LEFT of the party establishment.
Steve King I must assume wants Christian refugees. Anyone can pretend to be a Christian. I would hope he’d vote AYE if his vote was needed.
Point taken. I still hope he’d vote aye if his vote was needed, notwithstanding provisions made for Christians.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.