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'Partisan Politics Prevailed': Senate Blocks Modest Step to Strengthen Refugee Screening
Townhall.com ^ | January 21, 2016 | Cortney O'Brien

Posted on 01/21/2016 7:05:42 AM PST by Kaslin

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul's (R-TX) SAFE Act asked that the director of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the director of national intelligence confirm that refugees from Syria and Iraq pose no threat to the country. Senate Democrats apparently thought that those terms were too radical and have blocked the common sense measure.

While the SAFE Act seemed to scream bipartisanship, it did not gain enough votes during a procedural vote Wednesday. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid dismissed the legislation as nothing more than a "divisive platform" modeled after Donald Trump's controversial rhetoric.

An infuriated Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) scolded his colleagues for letting politics overshadow national security:

"Today, partisan politics prevailed, as Democrats joined to block consideration of a bill that would have taken a modest but important step toward ensuring terrorists do not exploit our nation’s refugee programs.  Remarkably, the Democrats are unwilling even to require this administration to certify that it's safe to admit refugees from Syria and Iraq. This obstructionism is especially egregious given that earlier this month, two terrorists, who came to the United States as Iraqi refugees, were apprehended in Sacramento and Houston," Sen. Cruz said.

Likewise, House Speaker Paul Ryan called Democrats "irresponsible" for refusing to let the bill proceed.

With his legislation, McCaul was simply trying to fill in some gaping holes in our refugee screening process. Political correctness should have no bearing on the Senate floor when it comes to keeping Americans safe. 


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: aliens; capitolhill; dingyhharryreid; eviledemonrats; nationalsecurity; paulryan; syrianrefugees; tedcruz
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1 posted on 01/21/2016 7:05:42 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

The democrat party now has the muzliyms firmly in their pocket. The dems have given them a new home, free money, immunity from prosecution, certified victim status, protection from “islamophobia” and the go-ahead to pop out babies without having to work. In return, the muzzs will vote democrat and give campaign contributions.


2 posted on 01/21/2016 7:09:12 AM PST by I want the USA back (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. Orwell.)
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To: Kaslin

I love how it says Democrats blocked it. Even though they are the minority party. So tell me how McConnell wasn’t complicit with their stance.


3 posted on 01/21/2016 7:09:56 AM PST by Durbin
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To: I want the USA back

It’s too much trouble to vet refugees from hostile countries, but actual US citizens must be vetted before being permitted to buy or sell a firearm.

Got it!


4 posted on 01/21/2016 7:12:02 AM PST by ConservativeWarrior (Fall down 7 times, stand up 8. - Japanese proverb)
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To: Kaslin

Que more complaints about “populism”. These people are going to swing.


5 posted on 01/21/2016 7:13:28 AM PST by The Toll
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To: Durbin

Obviously you missed the 60 rule the rats imposed and McConnell didn’t change when he became the Senate Majority leader. So yeah he is the one to blame


6 posted on 01/21/2016 7:13:44 AM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him. He got them and now we have to pay the consequences)
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To: Kaslin

Crap like this is precisely why people are fed up with ALL the criminals in Washington.

These bastards couldn’t give a good damn about the safety and general welfare of the citizens.

Its all about pandering and cashing lobbyist checks.


7 posted on 01/21/2016 7:14:22 AM PST by headstamp 2
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To: Durbin

Motion to proceed (cloture) failed to get the required 60 votes.

It is long past time that Senate rules were re-written.


8 posted on 01/21/2016 7:15:09 AM PST by brothers4thID ("We've had way too many Republicans whose #1 virtue is "I get along great with Democrats".")
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To: Kaslin
re>While the SAFE Act seemed to scream bipartisanship, it did not gain enough votes

Can we look up the vote? I would like to see who voted for what here.

9 posted on 01/21/2016 7:15:28 AM PST by IC Ken
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To: Kaslin

Here is the vote
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/114-2015/h643


10 posted on 01/21/2016 7:16:54 AM PST by IC Ken
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To: Kaslin

Aye
289

67%
242 47

No
137

32%
2 135

Not Voting
8

2%
2 6


11 posted on 01/21/2016 7:18:42 AM PST by IC Ken
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To: The Toll
Trump, if he's smart, will pound the dimocrats over this vote.
12 posted on 01/21/2016 7:23:05 AM PST by TontoKowalski (Satisfied Customer #291)
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To: IC Ken

Sorry that was the House vote. I could not fond the Senate vote.


13 posted on 01/21/2016 7:25:04 AM PST by IC Ken
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To: Durbin

They didn’t filibuster it. They simply threatened to filibuster it and McConnell quickly jerked his head back into his shell.


14 posted on 01/21/2016 7:25:45 AM PST by houeto (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: brothers4thID

There’s always a way to figure it out if you want it - I personally like the 60 votes - while it often stymies just imagine the things Reid, George Mitchell, Byrd, et al might have foisted on us over the years were it not there. We’d have all been soviets long ago.


15 posted on 01/21/2016 7:30:29 AM PST by major-pelham
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To: Kaslin

But the Republican Nominating Committee told me if only we could unseat Pelosi we could wrest control away from the runnaway Democrats in Congress. But then we need to boot Reid in the Senate, THEN we could wrest control away from the runnaway Democrats in Congress. Now we need a GOP nominee that gets along with the rest of the somehow completely ineffective representation the Republicans have in Congress to wrest control away from the runnaway Democrats.

It turns out the majority the Republicans needed is not enough to wrest control away from the runnaway....Progressive Unitparty.


16 posted on 01/21/2016 7:39:03 AM PST by Blue Collar Christian (Ready for Teddy, Cruz that is.)
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To: Kaslin

They really want a war, don’t they?


17 posted on 01/21/2016 7:48:19 AM PST by Noumenon (Resistance. Restoration. Retribution.)
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To: Kaslin

Wait, how did the democrat minority block something? I don’t remember us being able to block anything when we were the minority.


18 posted on 01/21/2016 8:03:16 AM PST by DesertRhino ("I want those feeble minded asses overthrown,,,")
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To: I want the USA back
and the go-ahead to pop out babies without having to work.

This is how the muzzies are conquering the globe with their reproductive organs and then imposing Sharia law.

Muslim immigrant threatens German man: ''Islam will conquer Europe with our birthrates, we will marry your daughters''
19 posted on 01/21/2016 8:06:43 AM PST by Cheerio (Barry Hussein Soetoro-0bama=The Complete Destruction of American Capitalism)
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To: Kaslin

If America were a house, democrats and liberals would root for the termites.


20 posted on 01/21/2016 8:26:07 AM PST by Cubs Fan (Black privilege--being able to falsely yell racism and have the media fawn all over you.)
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