BARLETTA VOTES “NO” ON OMNIBUS OVER SYRIAN REFUGEES

WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today voted against the $1.1 trillion Omnibus spending bill, citing his grave concerns over its continued funding of the program allowing refugees from other countries, including Syria and Iraq, to enter the United States. In light of the terror attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, Barletta has proposed suspending the entire refugee program until thorough background checks and screenings can be reliably conducted. The Islamic State, or ISIS, has placed America atop its terror list, and has indicated it would use the refugee program to infiltrate the United States. The bill passed the House by a vote of 316-to-113.

Barletta, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee who sits on the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, issued the following statement:

“Knowing what we know about the Islamic State and how it intends to continue its assault on Americans, I cannot support the continued funding of the refugee program, particularly for those coming from Syria and Iraq. This is an enormous national security problem, as the FBI and the Secretary of Homeland Security have told us that they have no real ability to conduct thorough background checks on those applying to be refugees. The 9/11 Commission Report taught us that terrorists want two things: to gain entry into the United States, and to be able to stay here. The refugee program is the perfect vehicle for those goals. Our national security system has to work correctly every single time, while terrorists only have to be right once. While we still have fundamental problems in the screening process, I believe we should call a timeout in the refugee program until we get it fixed. For these reasons, I voted emphatically against the bill.”