The year-end spending bill is the last change Congress has to put the breaks on President Obama’s plan to admit at least 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S. despite concerns about the vetting vulnerabilities and national security implications, according to Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX).
“In my district it’s over 70 percent of people who want to stop this refugee program and as I said its over 70 percent nationwide and I think this [omnibus] is our last opportunity to stop this program without giving this president a black check for the next fiscal year,” Babin said in an interview with SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily host Stephen K. Bannon.
The Texas lawmaker highlighted the potential threat of even a small percentage of terrorists gaining access to U.S. via the refugee program.
“Over a year’s period of time this president could bring in well over 10,000 Syrian refugees and if there was just one percent of them that were ISIS – and ISIS has pledged to exploit the program and we have in controvertible evidence that they already are — if just one percent of the 10,000, we have 100 jihadis that have made it across,” Babin explained, noting that they would have come to the U.S. at the expense of the American taxpayer .
He added that he thinks a lot of his Republican colleagues feel the same way and noted that even very conservative Republicans who have not voted for an omnibus have told him they would consider voting for the omnibus if it stopped the program.
With the omnibus bill slated for release Tuesday with a vote later in the week, Babin said he, like many Americans, has been “frustrated and angry” with the secretive nature of the deal and the pace with which leaders are pushing its passage.
“If you want to ask me what I think of this omnibus bill. I think it is absolutely in excusable to drop this in our laps the way we have.” Babin said. “I can tell you I voted for [House Speaker] Paul Ryan and he told us that one of things he wanted to do is return to regular order. And he told us just last week he said, “I’m telling you this is not regular order, I know its not, I don’t like the way it’s done I don’t like the process, it was dropped in my lap. But we’ve got to cast a vote.”
According to Babin, Congress should be making more plans to avoid the last minute rush. He pointed out his push — with his Resettlement Accountability National Security Act — to halt and put the refugee program under a microscope over the summer, even before the recent terrorists attacks in Paris and San Bernardino.
“This is a huge issue and I think it is well over 70 percent of the American folks do not want to see this refugee program continue.” he stressed. “They want to stop this. I’ll just tell you this right now. If this does not stop the refugee program in a way that we can finally say it’s safe, we can vet these people, and proceed with it. If I don’t get that opportunity I can’t vote for this thing.”
According to Politico the omnibus will not include additionally restrictions on Syrian and Irqui refugee admissions.
Babin said that the anger people feel — that their government and leaders are not listening to them — is driving some of the rhetoric in the presidential race.
When asked what question he would ask of the presidential field at Tuesday evening’s debate, Babin said he would press the candidates on how they would prevent jihadis from entering the U.S.
Hear the entire interview: