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Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Jared Polis (D-CO) led more than 70 members of Congress in sending a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to reject attempts to block the acceptance of refugees and calling on him to increase funds in the end-of-year Omnibus spending bill to ensure a thorough and expeditious refugee vetting process.

Noting the United States’ obligation to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis, Connolly called on Speaker Ryan to “reject attempts to use the critical year-end spending legislation to block the acceptance of refugees, including attempts to defund critical accounts or efforts to make it harder for refugees of a certain religion to seek sanctuary in the United States.”

Connolly, who has called for the Obama Administration to resettle a minimum of 100,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016 and has been critical of the current 18-24 month timeline to process refugee applications, urged Speaker Ryan to fulfill America’s obligation to refugees who are fleeing violence. “We have the resources, expertise, and moral tradition to do much more than what we are currently doing,” said Rep. Connolly.

The letter has been endorsed by: the Alliance for Citizenship, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, America's Voice Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, Brave New Films, Bread for the World, Center for Applied Linguistics, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Refugee & Immigration Ministries, Church World Service, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Franciscan Action Network, Friends Committee on National Legislation, InterAction, International Rescue Committee, International Catholic Migration Commission, J Street, Jesuit Conference, National Advocacy Office, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Life for Relief and Development, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Mercy Corps, MoveOn, National Council of Jewish Women, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, National Security Network, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Oxfam America, Peace Action West, Presbyterian Church (USA), Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Sisters of Mercy, Institute Justice Team, Plan International USA, Save the Children, Sojourners, STAND: The Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities, Unitarian Universalist Refugee & Immigrant Services & Education, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries, United to End Genocide, Voices for Progress, Women Legislators' Lobby, Women's Action for New Directions, Women’s Refugee Commission

Full letter follows:

December 4, 2015

Dear Speaker Ryan,

The United States has a moral imperative to be a safe-haven for those seeking refuge from violence abroad. As the civil war in Syria reaches its fifth year, and ISIS attempts to gain a foothold through its systemic practice of persecution and extreme violence, millions of innocent Syrians have been forced to leave their home country. The challenge to take in these refugees is global in scale. The United States, as the world’s lone superpower, has the obligation to do its part.

Given this responsibility, we respectfully urge you to reject attempts to use critical year-end spending legislation to block the acceptance of refugees, including attempts to defund critical accounts or efforts to make it harder for refugees of a certain religion to seek sanctuary in the United States. Rather, we believe that funds available for the vetting and placement of refugees should be increased to ensure a thorough and expeditious process.

We should all agree that inserting wholesale changes to refugee admission policies into a year-end spending bill – where they cannot be properly debated or amended – is not the appropriate way to consider these issues.

Congress should not attempt to strong-arm the President into turning his back on Syrian families desperately seeking refuge from violence and persecution by threatening to shut down the government unless he acquiesces to their demands.

Sincerely,