[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 518-519]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           AMERICAN SAFE ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, our country has a proud record of 
admitting the oppressed as refugees to our shores, yet the debate about 
how to safely admit refugees from Syria and Iraq is a serious 
conversation that deserves a serious response from Washington. It is 
difficult to effectively vet immigrants from a war-torn country where 
records may sometimes no longer exist at all. Senior law enforcement 
and intelligence officials have expressed concerns and DHS Secretary 
Jeh Johnson has said organizations such as ISIL may like to try to 
exploit the refugee program. So is it any wonder that the citizens we 
represent are concerned?
  According to one recent survey, nearly 80 percent of Americans and 77 
percent of Democrats say refugees should go through a more robust 
security process. President Obama seemed to suggest these Americans 
were motivated by some animus toward widows and orphans. I would 
suggest they are motivated by a love for their families and 
communities. I remind the President that this country has a proud 
tradition of compassion, and we have settled millions of refugees from 
around the world. Many Americans are telling us they want to continue 
helping others, but they want to do it in a smarter and more secure 
way.
  So I want to say this before moving forward. In his State of the 
Union Address, President Obama decried the political divisions that 
have widened during his Presidency. He called for cooperation and a 
more elevated debate. He warned that ``democracy breaks down when the 
average person feels their voice doesn't matter.''
  ``Democracy,'' he said, ``doesn't work if we think the people who 
disagree with us are all motivated by malice.''
  I ask him to reflect on those words. We each have a choice in this 
discussion. We can glibly dismiss the sincere concerns of middle-class 
families or we can work to unify Americans by pursuing bipartisan and 
balanced solutions.
  Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives chose 
bipartisan and balanced solutions when they worked together to pass the 
American SAFE Act a few weeks ago. Democrats and Republicans in the 
Senate should choose bipartisan and balanced solutions by working 
together to advance the American SAFE Act today.
  This bipartisan bill would allow Washington to step back, take a 
breath, and ensure it has correct policies and security screenings in 
place before moving ahead with the refugee program for Iraq and Syria. 
No wonder dozens of Democrats joined with Republicans to pass this 
balanced bill with a veto-proof majority over in the House. It is 
certainly worrying to hear that Senate Democrats are now being 
pressured to block us from even debating it. I understand the political 
pressure to oppose this balanced bill may be intense, but it is also 
intensely shortsighted, and I urge our Democratic friends to resist it.
  Boosting confidence in our Nation's vetting process is critical for 
our citizens, just as it is critical for every refugee who truly needs 
our help. Our

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Democratic friends know a cloud of unfair stigmatization threatens to 
hang over legitimate refugees so long as Democrats block commonsense 
safeguards to weed out ISIL sympathizers.
  If our Democratic friends are serious in what they imply about 
promoting tolerance for widows and orphans and in strengthening 
security for Americans, they will not vote to block the Senate from 
debating balanced, bipartisan legislation that can advance both 
priorities simultaneously.
  Let's work together to enact the American SAFE Act and its reforms, 
and then let's work together on the root of the problem. Refugees are 
fleeing Syria because of a brutal civil war, and they are fleeing Iraq 
because the terrorist group Al Qaeda in Iraq has evolved into the 
largest terrorist group in history--ISIL--so the ultimate solution is 
to make the region somewhere they can return to.
  Here is what hasn't helped: The precipitous withdrawal of our advise 
and assist force from Iraq, the indecision attached to drawing and 
erasing red lines in Syria, mocking the genuine concerns of American 
citizens here at home.
  Here is what will help: the administration cooperating across the 
aisle to finally develop a serious plan to confront ISIL. That is what 
the American people continue to call for, that is what the American 
people deserve, and it is what the administration will pursue if it is 
truly serious about helping both our country and the victims escaping 
this brutal terrorist group.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I think we have the makings of an agreement 
here, at least the way I understood the Republican leader.
  We agree that refugees should go through a robust screening process. 
The bill we are talking about before the Senate, though, is stressing 
bureaucracy and paperwork. Each refugee who comes to this country--and 
there are about 100 a day--would have to be signed off by three Cabinet 
Secretaries. That is 300 personal signatures a day. We don't want more 
paperwork.
  What we have said is we want four amendments to change the underlying 
bill. We are not going to be demanding days of debate time. We would be 
happy--we would be very reasonable with whatever the leader felt 
appropriate. We believe we should move forward with real solutions, not 
paperwork.
  We are not saying we don't want to get on the bill. We are willing to 
get on the bill. We want four amendments. That is it, four amendments. 
I am sure the leader will look this over and get back to me at the 
appropriate time, but we are willing to work on this bill.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I will obviously be talking to the 
Democratic leader on a way forward on the bill, and we will have those 
discussions and report back later.
  Mr. REID. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

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