House Passes Bill to Suspend Welcome of Refugees in U.S.

A bill that would suspend the U.S. refugee program passed in the House Thursday.

According to CNN, the bill suspends the program that would allow Iraqi and Syrian refugees into the country until top security agencies approve entrance.

The House voted 289-137. Forty-seven Democrats voted with Republicans for the bill.

Minority Leader Harry Reid has said that he would try to block the bill in the Senate, and President Barack Obama has said he would veto the bill.

"We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic," Obama said in the Philippines on Wednesday. "We don't make good decisions if it's based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks."

But House Speaker Paul Ryan said national security is “at stake.”

The veto threat "baffles me," Ryan said, "especially given the fact that his own law enforcement top officials came to Congress and testified that there are gaps in this refugee program."

In response to the bill, FBI Director James Comey has said the legislation could make it impossible for refugees to enter the U.S.

It is unclear when the bill will move to the Senate. The bill would need 60 votes to reach the senate.

Publication date: November 20, 2015