In the News

Lawmakers clash over Syrian refugees

Capitol Hill lawmakers are at odds over the prospect of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States.

Republicans largely oppose President Obama’s plan in light of the recent Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) attacks in Paris, saying that the U.S. can’t properly vet the refugees to ensure would-be terrorists don’t enter the country.

{mosads}For example, Tennessee Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R) tells The Hill that he – and his constituents — oppose the plan.

“We’ve gotta be absolutely positively certain that we protect the people of this country, and the people overwhelmingly are calling my office – they don’t want this,” Fleischmann says.

Democrats, like Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), say an absolute ban is wrong.

“This talk of banning the victims of ISIS from coming to our shores sends a really bad signal. It says we’re going to be more like the ‘Trump wall’ than the Statue of Liberty,” Doggett tells The Hill’s Molly K. Hooper.

To hear the lawmakers in their own words please watch the video above.