Many
House Republicans want refugee restrictions in spending bill
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[November 25, 2015]
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly one-third of
the Republicans in the House of Representatives signed a letter calling
on party leaders to ensure that a must-pass spending bill block any use
of federal funding to resettle refugees from Syria and nearby countries,
the bill's sponsor said on Tuesday.
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Seventy-four of the 246 House Republicans signed the letter, which
was circulated by Republican Representative Brian Babin.
It urges Speaker Paul Ryan and other House leaders to include a
provision in an upcoming appropriations bill that would block
President Barack Obama's plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in
the next year.
Passage of a bill with such language by the Republican-controlled
Congress could set up a showdown with Obama, who has promised to
veto a standalone bill passed by the House last week setting tighter
controls on refugee resettlement.
Congressional aides are negotiating the $1 trillion-plus spending
bill, facing a Dec. 11 deadline for it to pass the House and Senate
and be signed into law by Obama to avoid a government shutdown.
Ryan's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment
on the letter.
The attacks in Paris earlier this month fueled a wave of
anti-refugee sentiment in the United States that had been rising
since Obama announced his plan to admit Syrians in September. Many
Americans worry that the mostly Muslim newcomers would pose a
national security threat, although they go through up to two years
of screening before they are allowed into the country.
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The Babin letter said Congress must "exercise greater authority"
over the refugee resettlement program to ensure the safety of the
U.S. public.
"ISIS (Islamic State) has repeatedly declared that they would
infiltrate the refugee community that is leaving the Middle East and
flooding into Europe. The November 13 attacks in Paris appear to
have been a fulfillment of that threat," the letter said.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
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