Gee, who could have foreseen this? Republicans are laying the groundwork for a government shutdown to prevent any funding for a refugee resettlement program.
WASHINGTON — A Republican senator is making the case in the days after the Paris terrorist attacks that a vote on funding the Syrian refugee resettlement should be included in any government funding bill — essentially raising the threat of a government shutdown in an effort to block the Obama administration’s efforts to accept more Syrian refugees.
Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions sent a letter to his colleagues on Monday, asking them to include a measure that would require a vote on the administration’s refugee plans and funding for resettled Syrian refugees in the spending bill that needs to pass Congress by Dec. 11 to keep the government open. […]
Newly-elected Speaker Paul Ryan also stressed Monday morning that House Republicans are looking at all options related to dealing with Syrian refugees. […]
When pressed if Congress could use the funding measure, Ryan did not rule it out.
"We have a funding at the end of the year bill, so we're looking at all of our options,," he said. "We've got to make sure we're protecting ourselves.."
That's ratcheting things up a bit from Sen. Chuck Grassley's desire to include a policy rider to halt the funding in an appropriations bill. Congress will almost certainly not be able to pass an omnibus funding bill for all the separate departments by December 11. They will almost certainly have to pass another continuing resolution to keep funding going in the interim
Now it looks like Republicans are making the case for a shutdown based on their favorite shiny object: Fear. Which is pretty much just what ISIS wants to see the U.S. Congress do.
Sign and send the petition to the White House: I support admitting Syrian refugees into the United States.