Update September 20th: More excellent reporting on this by Leo Hohmann at World Net Daily, click here. This is pretty big news! Thanks to a tip from a friend, I checked the House website for bill statusand see that Rep. Michael McCaul has become the 10th member to sign on to HR 3314 since we posted on the co-sponsors yesterday! Rep. Michael McCaul called the Syrian refugee resettlement proposal a possible Jihadi pipeline to America. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2015/05/21/house-homeland-security-chairman-syrian-refugees-could-be-jihadi-pipeline-to-america/ See our post yesterdayfor the full story.
This is a significant addition to a bill introduced this summerby freshman Rep. Brian Babin of Texas and comes at a most critical time as Obama may dramatically increase the refugee flow of mostly Syrian Muslims to the US.
McCaul, who signed on yesterday, joins the following nine other co-sponsors.
Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] – 9/16/2015
Rep Gosar, Paul A. [AZ-4] – 9/15/2015
Rep Hice, Jody B. [GA-10] – 9/15/2015
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] – 9/15/2015
Rep King, Steve [IA-4] – 9/15/2015
Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] – 9/15/2015
Rep Weber, Randy K., Sr. [TX-14] – 9/15/2015
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] – 9/15/2015
Rep Zinke, Ryan K. [MT] – 9/15/2015
Is your member in this list? Where are youReps Bob Goodlatte and Trey Gowdy? (For new readers these two members, as chairman and subcommittee chairman of the House Judiciary Committee are responsible for calling for hearings on the refugee program. So far crickets!)
See also: Rep. Walter Jones sayscut the funding!
Editor: See our first post on Rep. Brian Babin’s initial shot-across-the-bow of the heretofore sacrosanct Refugee Admissions Program of the UN/US State Department. We are happy to report that 9 other brave Members of the House have joined his legislative initiative to halt the program until there has been a cost accounting done of the program. Babin: Small towns and little communities are being inundated!
Babin talks to Breitbart(hat tip: Richard Falkner via twitter):
The U.S. must learn the costs and national security risks of the refugee resettlement program before it admits any more refugees including Syrian refugees, Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) says.
In an interview with Breitbart News, Babin expressed his adamant opposition to President Obama’s recent call to admit at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. next year.
“This refugee crisis was caused largely by [Obama’s] inept foreign policy,” Babin said.
[….]
“We are crazy to be inviting the problems of the Middle East into the United States.
[….]
Beyond the national security implications, Babin has been sounding the alarm about the fiscal costs associated with the refugee program, which he notes has resettled about 500,000 refugees since Obama took office. Refugees in the U.S. are immediately eligible for welfare and tend to use it at high levels.
“We have to find out just exactly what this is costing us.” he said, pointing out American workers’ current difficulties and national debt.
In July Babin introduced legislation to immediately suspend the refugee resettlement program until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducts a thorough audit of its costs on federal, state and local governments. He is currently collecting co-sponsors for that bill.
Speaking to Breitbart News, the freshman congressman highlighted the high levels of welfare use among refugees, and particularly refugees from the Middle East, noting that the available federal data does not account for the costs to local communities.
We are happy to report that right now, Mr.Babin has nine co-sponsors!
Where are youChairman Bob Goodlatte and Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy?
By the way, Rep. Pete Sessions, a co-sponsor is House Rules Committee Chairman!
H.R.3314 Latest Title: Resettlement Accountability National Security Act of 2015 Sponsor: Rep Babin, Brian [TX-36] (introduced 7/29/2015) Cosponsors (9) Latest Major Action: 9/8/2015 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. (This is Trey Gowdy’s Subcommittee!).
COSPONSORS(9), ALPHABETICAL: (Sort: by date) (These are not hotlinks to the Members)
Thanks to everyone who has been working hard to get co-sponsors signed up! Time to really step it up especially as it looks like the Obama Administration is going to sock us with tens of thousands of refugees from the Middle East—more than usual—starting two weeks from today as the new fiscal year begins!
I meant to post this news earlier, but there is so much happening I can’t keep up! See two other posts on Idaho yesterday, here and here.
Citizens in that growing Idaho ‘Pocket of Resistance (POR)‘ have been dogging Republican Senator Mike Crapo during the August recess. We have two stories about the intense level of questioning he is receiving.
Idaho citizens are doing exactly what everyone across the country should be doing now—dogging their elected officials—including pressing Senators and Members of Congress to have a look atRep. Brian Babin’sbill! House Members should be urged to sign on to the bill! It is going to be very telling to see who signs on and who doesn’t. We will be watching and reporting come September!
Talking out of both sides of his mouth, Crapo appears cagey on the issue!
Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). http://www.crapo.senate.gov/
From MagicValley.com (emphasis is mine):
The 300 refugees, some of them Syrian, who are expected to come to the Magic Valley in October were a much-discussed topic at Crapo’s town halls on Tuesday in Filer, Hollister, and Hagerman, his spokesman Lindsay Nothern said. A few people brought the issue up in Castleford, too.
Crapo told the crowd he hadn’t yet read, but would read, a bill that was introduced by Texas Rep. Brian Babin on July 29 to end all admission of refugees into the United States until a study can be done of how much they cost in federal benefits. The bill has no co-sponsors. Nothern said that Crapo plans to study the topic more and reach out to Babin and the relevant federal agencies, and he didn’t know yet whether Crapo would back the legislation.
Crapo told the Times-News in July that he understands the need for a refugee program. When responding to someone at Tuesday’s town hall who brought up terrorist attacks that have been carried out by refugees, Crapo said that, while he doesn’t disagree about the dangers, there are people who should be allowed in as refugees, such as human trafficking victims. Crapo did say he wants to know more about the State Department’s vetting process. After the town hall, Crapo said he still has questions he’s trying to get answered.
Then here is another report, an excellent one, from Vicky Davis at The Voice of Idaho News. (Hat tip: Rick) Almost everyone in attendance was there to talk about refugees:
The Filer City Council Chamber has a capacity of 43 people and there were a few people standing in doorways. All but about five people in the room stood up. Two notable exceptions that remained seated were the two state legislators in the room, Rep. Maxine Bell, from Jerome and Rep. Clark Kauffman of Filer.
One lady in the audience who was concerned about her taxes, complained rightfully about the amount of money the government is spending on refugees and that money includes her tax dollars. Why are they spending so much money on refugees when we have needs of our own? She said she doesn’t make enough money to solve the problems of the world.
[….]
In general Senator Crapo is supportive of the refugee resettlement program but he was open to the idea of a moratorium.However, to talk about the budget deficit and the need to fix it and then to support the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars to import people who are not even culturally compatible makes no sense and is demonstrative of the compartmentalization of politicians and issues.
[….]
One of the members of the audience was an elderly gentleman who said he was in the Post Office in Filer when two Somali men of military age come in and they were talking about how much they hate the United States. He expressed his concern about the CSI refugee resettlement program bringing in military age men from Syria. He didn’t think military age men should be included in the refugee program.
Senator Crapo assured the audience that the refugees coming in are vetted before they are allowed into the country. This however, is not true…..
You gotta laugh, didn’t Crapo know about the terror trial for an Uzbek refugee that just wrapped up in his state?
Continue reading here. Recommendation to the Idaho POR: Find out who funds Crapo’s campaigns. Is he getting cashola from BIG MEAT, or LOL! BIG YOGURT (Chobani) or any other big business or the Chamber of Commerce in Idaho. Be sure to check campaign finance records for all of your elected officials. Go here to support the Twin Falls POR.
Rep. Brian Babin is a first term Congressman from East Texas. http://babin.house.gov/biography/
Please take every opportunity this month while your members of Congress are home for the August recess to meet with them and urge them to co-sponsor theRefugee Accountability National Security Act of 2015 (HR 3314) introduced byTexas Rep. Brian Babin.
It is critically important that you send a message to your member that this bill is a necessary first step to begin reining-in this out-of-control LEGAL immigration program. It is just as important as the invasion of our southern border if we are to slow the colonization of our towns and cities.
And, remember! Rep. Trey Gowdy is chairman of the subcommittee responsible for the refugee program, he should be urged to hold hearings on the Babin bill!
Since the bill represents a moderate approach to reform, for some members signing on to HR3314 should be an easy decision. We will be watching closely to see who does, and by their absence, who does not, support it!
If you are ‘fortunate’ to live in a key primary state, be sure to also bring this important legislation and your concerns about refugee resettlement to Presidential candidates!
P.S. Take a minute to thank Rep. Babin!
And, that is so you can get out there and tell your Senators and Members of Congress how you feel about over a million immigrants legally arriving in America each year. Tell them it is not good for your towns or for those Americans looking for jobs. Go to NumbersUSA for the interactive version of the map. https://www.numbersusa.com/news/august-recess-2015-events-map
Visit their interactive map, here, and find out what is happening near where you live.
Resettlement Accountability National Security Act
We would especially like you to use these face-to-face meetings to ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the new bill by Rep. Brian Babin to suspend the Refugee Resettlement Program until a study of the fiscal costs has been completed and the public is assured that the program does not jeopardize our security. This bill represents a moderate approach and should be a no-brainer for some members. It will be very telling if your member (particularly on the Republican side of the aisle) is too frightened to co-sponsor!
By the way, while you are at NumbersUSA see one of Roy Beck’s famous “gumball” demonstrations about US population growth by clicking here.
