Reps. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), and Scott Perry (R-PA), along with numerous Senate Republicans, are taking action to hinder President Joe Biden’s efforts to resettle Palestinians in American communities.
In a formal correspondence addressed to House Appropriators, Ogles, Tiffany, and Perry request the inclusion of a provision in the Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill. This provision would effectively bar the allocation of funds towards issuing visas or granting parole to individuals holding passports issued by the Palestinian Authority.
House Republicans declared:
“Whatever fanciful leftist notion to the contrary, the United States of America cannot be expected to absorb the rest of the world’s problems. It would make much more sense for states in the region to take in those in need. If the administration is indeed working in concert with our allies in the region to pave the way for peace, that should come with the expectation that those allies are working in good faith to “do their part.”’
A similar proposal was circulated by House and Senate Democrats last November, while their letter arrives at a time when the Biden administration is said to be contemplating the utilization of the federal government’s refugee resettlement program to relocate Palestinians to the United States.
“Mindlessly allowing hundreds of thousands of unvetted Palestinian aliens into our nation is an unacceptable threat to national security,” Ogles said. “The vast majority of Palestinian Arabs continue to support Hamas’ butchery on October 7 and hate our American way of life.”
Tiffany said, “It isn’t America’s responsibility, or in America’s best interest, to let Joe Biden continue treating our country as a dumping ground for the rest of the world’s problems,” and that Palestinians be sent to “other countries in the region, not here.”
The U.S. Senate also responded, saying:
The Senators write to Biden:
“Your administration’s reported plan to accept Gazan refugees poses a national security risk to the United States. With more than a third of Gazans supporting the Hamas militants, we are not confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States.”