SYRIAN REFUGEES; Congressional Record Vol. 161, No. 171

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SYRIAN REFUGEES

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is clear that the American people

are concerned about the administration's ability to properly vet

thousands of individuals from Syria. More than half of our Nation's

Governors, Governors of both parties, have demonstrated their concern.

Many Members in Congress, Members of both parties, have raised concerns

as well.

Given all this and given all that has happened in Paris, it simply

makes sense to take a step back for now, to press the pause button so

we can determine the facts and ensure we have the correct policies and

security screenings in place. That is the most responsible thing for

the administration to do right now. That is the most reasonable and

balanced thing for the administration to do right now.

We should also not lose sight of why we are in this position to begin

with. The Syrian people are fleeing Syria because of a brutal civil

war. The ultimate solution to this problem is to make Syria a place the

Syrian people can continue to return to, but the administration has

never had a coherent strategy to settle this conflict. Every single one

of us knows that ISIL presents a threat to our homeland, and it is not

contained. So if the administration is serious about starting to turn

this situation around, then it is going to have to develop a serious

and workable strategy that can swing and win strong bipartisan support.

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