Bradley Byrne introduces bill to defund Syrian refugee resettlement program

In the aftermath of terrorist attacks on Paris last week, Alabama Congressman Bradley Bryne (AL-01) is standing up for the millions concerned with ISIS’ next move — introducing legislation that would defund the Syrian refugee resettlement program.

Bryne, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced H.R. 4031, the Defund the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program Act of 2015 Wednesday, which would eliminate all funding from going toward resettling refugees from Syria, in effort to keep the American people safe.

“The reality remains that we cannot adequately screen individuals coming into the United States from Syria, so we must use every legislative tool at our disposal to stop the Syrian refugee resettlement program,” said Byrne. “I strongly believe our best chance for success is to use the ‘power of the purse’ to cut off funding to the program, and my bill would achieve that goal.”

For weeks, Byrne has spoken out about the clear national security threat posed by allowing a mass influx of Syrian refugees into the United States. In September, Byrne sent a letter to the State Department requesting additional information about the screening process Syrian refugees must undergo. He also attended a classified briefing to learn more about the screening process.

Based on what he learned in the briefing and after receiving a response from the State Department, Byrne Monday sent a letter to President Obama demanding he halt the Syrian refugee resettlement program.

“The top priority of the federal government is to keep the American people safe, and we should never lose sight of that goal,” Byrne continued. “Despite what President Obama may believe, our nation is in a state of war and that requires major precautions to be taken.”