The Obama administration threatened a veto on Wednesday evening. But a number of Democrats peeled off anyway, under significant pressure from constituents to act after terrorist attacks in Paris last week. The bill passed 289-137 -- with enough support to override a veto, should there be one.
Some Democrats said the legislation simply wasn't as bad as the administration made it out to be, even after a briefing earlier in the day with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.
"It isn't what it was characterized as, so why would we oppose that?" Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). He voted for the bill Thursday.
They also expressed frustration that the White House hadn't better explained the refugee vetting process, which many agreed is already extensive, with voters and politicians.
"I've seen better presentations in my time here," Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who voted with Republicans Thursday, told reporters. "They may have strong arguments on their side, but they're not expressing those strong arguments sufficiently."
An aide in the room said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), who also voted for the bill Thursday, was particularly outspoken in asking for a better explanation from administration officials on why he should oppose the bill.
"A lot of us went in with open minds and really wanted to understand administration's position on this," Maloney told reporters afterward. "But if you read the bill, you have a pretty simple certification process sitting on top of an existing and extensive screening process. Some of us just don't understand why you can't verify that and you can't do it fast."
The vote was on the first of what will likely be several pieces of legislation in response to last week's terrorist attacks in France. The House decided to initially take aim at the refugee resettlement program, based on the argument that terrorists might try their luck at getting to the U.S. through that cumbersome, typically 18- to 24-month process rather than coming to the country through other methods.
The Obama administration said the House bill would "unacceptably hamper our efforts to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the world."
It may already be the end of the road for the bill. Never mind the veto threat; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters that the bill "won't get passed" in the upper chamber. Senators are expected to leave town as soon as Thursday afternoon for a week and a half, and by the time they come back, the frantic push to block Syrian refugees may have eased.
"The initial reaction was overreaction," a senior Senate Democratic aide said, "and cooler heads will probably prevail when Congress reconvenes after Thanksgiving."
Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: Elise Foley
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