Lawmakers, having returned to Washington after Thanksgiving recess, are again taking up the question of resettling Syrian refugees in the United States. This issue cries out for a solution that balances security concerns with our humanitarian impulse to help those in such dire need.
The House, in a rare bipartisan vote just before the recess, passed a bill to pause the refugee program until security concerns can be addressed. However, Senate Democrats have vowed to block the House bill, choosing to focus instead on tightening the Visa Waiver Program and banning those on the terror watch list from purchasing guns. Once again, the gears of Congress may be stuck in gridlock.
