This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/us/politics/paul-ryan-calls-for-halt-to-syrian-refugee-program.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Paul Ryan Calls for Halt to Syrian Refugee Program Republicans Call for Halt to Syrian Refugee Program
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — Seizing on the terror attacks in Paris, congressional Republicans on Tuesday demanded the suspension of a program to accept Syrian refugees, but along with Democrats, they continued to shy away from explicit authorization of military force to confront the Islamic State.WASHINGTON — Seizing on the terror attacks in Paris, congressional Republicans on Tuesday demanded the suspension of a program to accept Syrian refugees, but along with Democrats, they continued to shy away from explicit authorization of military force to confront the Islamic State.
For more than two years, Congress has been deeply conflicted about authorizing force in Syria, preferring to let the administration grapple for a strategy on its own. That view seemed to prevail on Tuesday even as two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — one from each party — renewed their call for Congress to vote on a measure authorizing force. Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin was the leading voice in his party urging an immediate halt to the refugee program. More than two dozen Republican governors are vowing to try to block the entry of Syrian refugees, and all the Republican presidential candidates have called for blocking refugees from Syria entirely or limiting the group to Christians.
Senate Republican leaders asserted that it was up to President Obama to put forward a more coherent strategy, while Democrats said they wanted to wait until a classified briefing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon before deciding if there was a need for any new legislation to confront the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL. President Obama, speaking during a trip to Manila, expressed outrage over what he called “political posturing” by Republicans on the issue, accusing them of making statements that the Islamic State could use as a recruiting tool.
“It’s pretty obvious that ISIL is not contained, and it’s pretty obvious they’re not the J.V. team,” the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said at a news conference, alluding to a characterization of the group Mr. Obama made in January 2014. “This is a serious threat. The president still has not laid out a strategy for dealing with this. In the wake of this mass casualty attack in Paris, hopefully, not only our own administration may wake up, but NATO may take an enhanced interest in dealing with this problem.” “When candidates say we should not admit 3-year-old orphans, that’s political posturing,” the president said. “When individuals say we should have religious tests, and only Christians, proven Christians, should be allowed, that’s offensive and contrary to American values.”
The general inaction in Congress, despite the escalation of terror activity by ISIS — from beheadings of hostages to the bombing of a Russian airliner and a major attack in Paris — reflects both a nation weary of war and the inherent peril of taking any firm position on the quagmire in Syria, which has no obvious solution. Mr. Obama said that such comments could help the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, because they suggest that the United States does not believe that Muslims are as valuable as adherents of other religions.
There is largely no middle ground between Democrats, who want a very limited and targeted authorization of force, and Republicans, who want far broader empowerment for the executive branch, yet do not trust Mr. Obama to implement the more aggressive response they demand. “ISIL seeks to exploit the idea that there’s war between Islam and the West, and when you start seeing individuals in a position of responsibility suggesting Christians are more worthy of protection than Muslims are in a war-torn land, that feeds the ISIL narrative,” he said.
Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, embracing his new role as the highest-ranking Republican in Washington, was the leading voice in his party urging immediate suspension of a State Department program to settle Syrian refugees in the United States. The Republicans cited evidence that at least one of the Paris attackers may have entered Europe by posing as a refugee.
The Republican demands raised the possibility that legislation temporarily barring the admission of Syrian refugees could be attached to a spending measure that Congress must pass before Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown. Republicans said they had not yet settled on a legislative strategy.The Republican demands raised the possibility that legislation temporarily barring the admission of Syrian refugees could be attached to a spending measure that Congress must pass before Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown. Republicans said they had not yet settled on a legislative strategy.
“Our nation has always been welcoming,” Mr. Ryan said at a news conference. “But we cannot allow terrorists to take advantage of our compassion. This is a moment where it is better to be safe than to be sorry. So we think the prudent, the responsible thing is to take a pause in this particular aspect of this refugee program in order to verify that terrorists are not trying to infiltrate the refugee population.”“Our nation has always been welcoming,” Mr. Ryan said at a news conference. “But we cannot allow terrorists to take advantage of our compassion. This is a moment where it is better to be safe than to be sorry. So we think the prudent, the responsible thing is to take a pause in this particular aspect of this refugee program in order to verify that terrorists are not trying to infiltrate the refugee population.”
Mr. McConnell also endorsed a suspension of the program, which so far has brought only small numbers of Syrians to the United States and, Democrats noted, only after a lengthy screening process. The administration earlier this fall pledged to take in up to 10,000 additional Syrian migrants.Mr. McConnell also endorsed a suspension of the program, which so far has brought only small numbers of Syrians to the United States and, Democrats noted, only after a lengthy screening process. The administration earlier this fall pledged to take in up to 10,000 additional Syrian migrants.
“We’re going to continue to have refugees as long as Syria looks like it does, and so what we need is a strategy obviously to give the refugees an opportunity to stay in their own country,” Mr. McConnell said.“We’re going to continue to have refugees as long as Syria looks like it does, and so what we need is a strategy obviously to give the refugees an opportunity to stay in their own country,” Mr. McConnell said.
A few Democrats, including Senators Chuck Schumer of New York and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, also indicated that the refugee program may need to be halted.A few Democrats, including Senators Chuck Schumer of New York and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, also indicated that the refugee program may need to be halted.
Over all, however, Democrats said robust screening measures were in place. “We should continue to accept refugees under the rigorous standards that have been set up,” said Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey.Over all, however, Democrats said robust screening measures were in place. “We should continue to accept refugees under the rigorous standards that have been set up,” said Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey.
And Democrats generally praised the administration’s strategy in Syria, noting, for example, that the American-led coalition had eliminated the threat of an ISIS invasion of Baghdad. Still, they acknowledged that much more needed to be done in light of the Paris attacks. The Obama administration said on Tuesday that it had no intention of backing away from the refugee plan. In a series of tense exchanges with Republicans at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said a “significant and robust” vetting process for the refugees would identify any security threats.
“One thing that’s frustrating to me as a senator but also as a citizen is why we are not getting more help from our regional and Gulf allies when it comes to putting fighters on the ground, especially from countries that have a high Sunni Arab population,” said Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania. “It’s their fight.” That process will include not only searches of domestic and foreign intelligence databases for information on possible terrorist threats, she said, but also interviews with all applicants, as well as fingerprinting and biometric testing.
While Republican leaders sought to pressure the administration over the refugee issue, two senators on the Foreign Relations Committee, Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, and Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, urged a formal authorization of the use of military force against the Islamic State. Denis R. McDonough, the White House chief of staff, and other top administration officials also held a 90-minute conference call on Tuesday with 34 governors to answer questions and to try to ease concerns about the refugee plan.
Republicans said far greater leadership, and a much more detailed plan, were needed from Mr. Obama before requesting a congressional authorization of force. On the issue of authorizing force in Syria, Congress has been deeply conflicted for more than two years, preferring to let the administration grapple for a strategy on its own. That view seemed to prevail on Tuesday even as two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, and Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona — renewed their call for Congress to vote on a measure authorizing force.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, said he was drawing up legislation to suspend the refugee resettlement program. Senate Republican leaders asserted that it was up to President Obama to put forward a more coherent strategy, while Democrats said they wanted to wait until a classified briefing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon before deciding if there was a need for any new legislation to confront the Islamic State.
“Our nation has a proud tradition of welcoming refugees into our country,” Mr. McCaul wrote in a letter to Mr. Obama. “But in this particular case the high-threat environment demands that we move forward with greater caution.” “It’s pretty obvious that ISIL is not contained, and it’s pretty obvious they’re not the J.V. team,” the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said at a news conference, alluding to a characterization of the group that Mr. Obama made in January 2014. “This is a serious threat. The president still has not laid out a strategy for dealing with this.”
The general inaction in Congress reflects both a nation weary of war and the inherent peril of taking any firm position on the quagmire in Syria, which has no obvious solution.