WASHINGTON -- Georgia's congressional Republicans are joining their party's governors and presidential candidates in responding to the Paris attacks by turning up the heat on the Obama administration's plans to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States.
And at least one liberal Democrat is advocating a "pause" as well.
Move over Planned Parenthood: This could be the biggest spending fight ahead of a Dec. 11 government shutdown deadline.
Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said via a spokeswoman that a stronger vetting process is needed:
"Refugees come to this country from all over the world seeking a better life, often fleeing terrible situations such as the current crisis in Syria. However, we cannot be naïve and think that those who seek to destroy our liberty will not try to exploit our generosity. We must not increase the number of refugees coming to our country without a strong strategy for ensuring that radical jihadists are kept out of the United States."
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., called on President Barack Obama directly to halt the program:
"At this time, President Obama should stop any refugees from coming into our country until we have assurances that effective safeguards are in place to prevent radical terrorists from using the system to their advantage. The American people don't have enough information about the refugee vetting process, which is initiated by the United Nations. Our top priority should be to defeat ISIS completely and protect every American and Georgian, no matter where they are in the world."
Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, said he worries about the attacks being used unfairly against Obama and he does not want this to be a pretense to shut all refugees out. But even Johnson, a solid liberal, does want Congress to take a hard look at Syrian resettlement. Said Johnson in an interview:
"We should hit the pause button so that we can get a handle on the process and make sure that it is tight enough, to make sure that we tighten the process so we can give Americans more assurance about who is being let into the country."
Asked specifically about the prospect of addressing refugees as part of the government shutdown discussion, Johnson said he would have to look at any bill language, but he doesn't "want us to play games with this important issue."
Rep. Tom Price, R-Roswell, the chairman of the Budget Committee and a close ally of Speaker Paul Ryan, had more pointed words in his statement:
"Going ahead, we must stand by our French allies and target the ideology and these jihadists. It has been confirmed that at least one of the terrorists in Paris used the current refugee system out of Syria as a Trojan horse. We must not allow the United States to experience the same fate and thus must suspend our refugee program until certainty is brought to the vetting process. Common sense must not be trumped by willful ignorance for the sake of dogmatic conformity."
Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, agreed in a statement of his own:
"There are an extraordinary number of men, women, and children from the Middle East who are being forced to flee their homes because of ISIS. However, we cannot put our national security at risk by waiving through hundreds of thousands of people from countries ruled by terrorist organizations, who would pose a threat to Americans on American soil. The terrorist attack in Paris on Friday could have happened here. Turning a blind eye to the President's plan to allow 10,000 refugees from Syria next year will only make us more vulnerable to attacks, possibly carried out by those we let in willingly. Until the U.S. can put a rigorous screening process in place, I support suspending admission to refugees from those countries."
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Coweta County, pointed out that he has co-sponsored three different bills to stop refugee resettlement until more safeguards are added:
"Our national security is the number one priority after the Paris attacks, and we must be 100 percent sure that anyone coming in and out of our country is not loyal to radical Islamic terrorists. ISIS has proved they are experienced, strategic, and dedicated to killing as many westerners as possible. They will stop at nothing to create their caliphate and kill all non-believers. Allowing refugees in at this time jeopardizes the security of our homeland, and I do not believe the President should authorize it, especially without the consent of Congress."
Rep. Jody Hice, R-Monroe, joined the chorus:
"I strongly encourage the Obama Administration to suspend accepting any refugees from Syria and Iraq at this time. While I have previously cosponsored legislation that would accomplish this, it should be obvious to everyone now that this program is vulnerable to exploitation by ISIS. The security of the United States must come first and a full and complete review of screening procedures must take place immediately. In my home state, I applaud Governor Deal's executive order to not accept any Syrian refugees at this time and hope that the President will follow suit."
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, had similar thoughts:
"I am very sympathetic towards the plight of all refugees seeking asylum from the violence in Syria and Iraq. The United States has a long history of providing support, relief and sanctuary to oppressed people around the world; however, our nation is in the crosshairs of one of the most violent and evil organizations in the history of mankind. The threats against our nation are real and serious, and we must make every effort to protect the people and interests of our nation. Therefore, I am calling on the administration to immediately cease plans to admit any refugees from the conflict zones associated with the expansion and occupation of ISIS or the civil war in Syria. My office is currently looking at what legislative means we can use to force the administration to stop these potentially disastrous plans."
Those "legislative means" could include language in an omnibus appropriations bill, which must be approved by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown. Closed-door negotiations on the omnibus are ongoing.
A recent two-year budget deal set spending levels -- and hiked the debt ceiling -- but the parties remain sharply divided on "policy riders," the attached language to spending bills that would strip funding for small, politically charged corners of the government. Until Friday, most of the policy rider drama was focused on possible language targeting Planned Parenthood or the Environmental Protection Agency.
Obama, in a sometimes testy news conference today in Turkey, gave no indication of backing down on refugees and defended the vetting procedures already in place:
"We also have to remember that many of these refugees are the victims of terrorism themselves -- that's what they're fleeing. Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values. Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both."
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