Billionaire Donald Trump, the 2016 GOP frontrunner, told Breitbart News Daily’s Stephen K. Bannon on Thursday that it is “unwise” for newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan to fund President Barack Obama’s efforts to resettle Syrian refugees across America.
“Paul Ryan is about to give a head-fake on this vetting process and go ahead and fully fund President Obama’s [Office of Refugee Resettlement],” Bannon asked Trump. “Last night, on Hannity, he sits there and smirks ‘this is not who we are’ as Americans. What’s your response to that?”
“Wow, I’m surprised to hear he would do that because he just became Speaker and I am very surprised he would take that stance,” Trump said.
I actually heard he was going to take the other stance, that he was going to pass something where he’s not going to allow funding and it’s not going to happen and all that. I think he’d be very unwise to take that [funding refugee resettlement] stance. I think it would be a very, very big slap in the face to a lot of people that didn’t particularly want him in that position and they went along with it. I think it would unwise for him to take that stance. I’m surprised to hear he’ll take that stance. I heard he’s going the other way, that we would defund, that he wouldn’t allow Obama to get away with what he’s doing.
Current government funding runs out in early December, setting the stage for a potential showdown over funding of the refugee program after Thanksgiving–if Ryan were willing to fight it.
But Ryan is, according to all indications, setting the stage to back down from fighting the president on funding for the refugee resettlement program. Recent reports from D.C. trade publication E&E News show that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has praised Ryan’s decision to thus far back away from a funding fight over refugees.
Ryan’s office on Wednesday wouldn’t deny the E&E reports, instead referring Breitbart News to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office for questions about House GOP strategy on targeting the refugee program. McCarthy’s office still hasn’t answered questions about it.
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