Sen. Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerBiden congratulates Pelosi on Speaker nomination Senate Democrats introduce bill to shore up PPE supply Organizations push congressional leaders to prioritize tech antitrust report MORE (N.Y.), the third ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, on Tuesday said it may be necessary to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States.
Republicans immediately seized on Schumer’s comment, which breaks with other Democrats who have argued against halting the program.
Schumer, however, declined to take the option off the table ahead of a special briefing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon on the process that is now used to vet refugees entering the United States.
“We’re waiting for the briefing tomorrow, a pause may be necessary. We’re going to look at it,” he said.
Schumer is widely expected to become leader of Senate Democrats in the next Congress, after Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid
Harry Mason ReidBottom line Senate roadblocks threaten to box in Biden How a tied Senate could lead a divided America MORE (Nev.) retires.
A spokeswoman for Speaker Paul Ryan
Paul Davis RyanDemocratic anger rises over Trump obstacles to Biden transition Feehery: A possible House Speaker conundrum for Democrats McCarthy faces pushback from anxious Republicans over interview comments MORE (R-Wis.) highlighted Schumer’s statement as an example of “bipartisan concern” over refugees.
Centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Barrasso to seek top spot on Energy and Natural Resources Committee | Forest Service finalizes rule weakening environmental review of its projects | Biden to enlist Agriculture, Transportation agencies in climate fight Barrasso to seek top spot on Energy and Natural Resources Committee The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC - Dems push McConnell on COVID-19 relief; Grassley contracts COVID-19 MORE (W.Va.) signed a letter to President Obama Monday calling on him not to allow another Syrian refugee into the country unless federal authorities can guarantee with 100-percent assurance they are not connected to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Other Democrats have rejected freezing Obama’s plan to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the current fiscal year.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin
Dick DurbinBiden picks Obama communications director to lead confirmation team: report Democrats vent to Schumer over Senate majority failure Trump's controversial Fed nominee stalled after Senate setback MORE (D-Ill.) said halting the program “is a simplistic reaction to a very complicated challenge.”
“Background checks need to be redoubled in terms of refugees but if we’re talking about threats to the United States, let’s put this in perspective,” he said.
Durbin noted that each year 70,000 refugees from around the world are resettled in the United States after two years of vetting while millions of foreign visitors enter the United States as visitors.
“Let us not just single out the refugees as the potential source of danger in the United States,” he said.
Jordain Carney contributed.
