After all of the debate on the refugee issue and the consensus among Americans that our system is not safe enough, Democrats in the Senate have shot down a bill that would change most of that!
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The bill would curb the flow of refugees from these countries by requiring that the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence sign off on each refugee and declare them not a threat.
After some of the Paris attackers appeared to have been refugees and some arrests here in America of refugees plotting with ISIS – this bill seemed like a no brainer. But the bill was defeated by a vote of 55 to 43 along party lines, shy of the 60 votes needed.
House Speaker Paul Ryan had this to say:
“By blocking this measure, Senate Democrats are making it that much harder for us to keep Americans safe. Their vote is irresponsible in a time of grave threats. Even the administration’s top law enforcement officials say there are gaps in our refugee program that terrorists can exploit.”
Democratic Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said:
“By advancing this bill, Republicans are creating a terrible distraction for the sake of embracing the hateful rhetoric and vitriol of the Republican Party’s standard bearer, Donald Trump. This should come as a surprise to no one. Over and over again, Republicans remain committed to pledging loyalty to the divisive platform they have built for Donald Trump.”
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From CNN:
Senate Democrats blocked consideration of a Republican bill on Wednesday that would have curbed the flow of Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the United States in order to prevent terrorists from slipping in.
In exchange for taking up the bill, Democrats wanted votes on amendments, including one that would have forced GOP senators to go on-the-record on Donald Trump’s controversial plan to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the U.S.
The 55 to 43 vote was largely split down party lines and fell short of the 60 votes needed for the bill to advance. The result means the refugee bill, which passed the House with broad bipartisan support in November, likely is dead for the year.
Would you have voted in favor of this bill? Sound off in the comments below!
