One of the bills we discussed during yesterday's Judiciary Committee mark-up meeting was H.R. 1333. The Democratic sponsors of this bill seek to limit the executive branch's authority to restrict aliens' entry into the United States. This legislation is pure political posturing, designed solely to let the Democrats falsely impugn President Trump and Republicans as "racist" for supporting "travel bans" against seven specific countries.
To underscore my point, I gave Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee a needed history lesson on their previous support for visa restrictions when President Obama wanted them enacted. I hope my colleagues read the "Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015." After all, many of them voted for it, and President Obama signed it into law.
The "Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015" prevented four countries from getting expedited travel visas- Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Sudan. President Obama later added three more countries to this list- Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. The seven countries referenced above are the same seven countries Democrats pointed to in yesterday's debate to insist support for travel restrictions are "racist" or "xenophobic."
Was it "racist" or "xenophobic" when the Democrats eliminated visa waivers for these counties? No. I won't accuse anybody of that. That's what our colleagues on the other side of the aisle do. Everyone who voted for that legislation in 2015 was voting in the United States of America's best interests. I just ask my Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Committee to be consistent.
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