Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is aiming to link the Republican House’s refugee bill to Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s controversial ban on Muslims.
According to The Hill:
“As the front-runner of the Republican nomination, Donald Trump and his proposals are leading the public debate in our country,” Reid said from the Senate floor. “Republicans who support these illogical plans should be prepared for the next logical step: Voting on his vision of America.”The Senate is expected to take a procedural vote Wednesday afternoon on the House legislation. The proposal would effectively freeze the acceptance of Syrian and Iraqi refugees until the administration could certify they aren’t a national security threat.Reid said Democrats will help Republicans get the 60 votes needed to move forward if Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will allow votes on a handful of Democratic amendments, including one related to Trump’s proposal.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has come out and said that the debate over Syrian refugees should be based on facts, rather than “fearmongering.” McConnell needs at least six Democrats in order to clear the bill for final passage.
The high-profile vote Republican presidential candidates Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) are set to leave the campaign trail and head back to Washington, D.C. for the vote.
Reid took a dig at Rubio and Cruz by saying it was a, “big day” because they were taking time off to return to the Senate for the vote.
“I know it’s a big day in the Senate because on my news briefing on the way to work here this morning, I heard the big day is going to be … the junior senator from Florida is going to be here to vote and the junior senator from Texas,” Reid said. “They’re going to actually be in the Senate to vote. It’s a big day here.”
President Obama has already threatened to veto the bill. Obama went after Republicans by saying, “apparently, they’re scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America.”
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