[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18554]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            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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