49 Republican lawmakers helped pass a portion of Joe Biden’s resettlement program for Afghans. 34 House Republicans and 15 Senate Republicans voted with Democrats on Thursday to approve $6.4 billion for welfare, driver’s licenses and housing costs for the 95,000 Afghans Biden has planned to bring to the U.S. over the next 12 months.
The approval of funding comes as a recent poll showed 63 percent of GOP voters opposed Afghan resettlement. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who voted against the funding bill, said its provision opened the U.S. to unlimited refugee resettlement from Afghanistan with zero vetting as well as created an even greater security risk.
“These are the types of things that are slipped into legislation when the Appropriations Committee has been sidelined like it has under the Democrat majority,” he expressed. “…Instead of doing the basic work of the American people, Democrats have been far too focused on completely transforming the American economy and our immigration laws into cradle-to-grave government dependency.”
Democrats hijacked this funding bill & snuck in a provision to allow unlimited resettlement of refugees to the U.S. with the thinnest of ties to Afghanistan & inadequate vetting, which I cannot support.
My full statement on opposing the Democrats' funding bill: pic.twitter.com/b3iOje32Um
— Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) September 30, 2021
Currently, over 40,000 Afghans have been temporarily housed at eight U.S. military bases.
Source: One America News Network