REPUBLICANS DIVIDED ON REFUGEES — Republicans are united in their criticism for the Biden administration's handling of the drawdown in Afghanistan, but the evacuation crisis that could leave Afghan allies stranded is fueling a divide among some Republicans on immigration and refugee policy. Calls for tighter immigration and refugee policies were central to Republican messaging and policy efforts during the Trump years. But that consensus has been complicated by the thousands of Afghan allies who supported American military efforts and worked closely with U.S. troops over two decades who now are now under threat from the Taliban. Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican who also served in the Green Berets, acknowledged that "there are a lot of mixed feelings" among conservatives over accepting more immigrants and refugees, reports Marc Caputo. Ohio Senate candidate and "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance said on Twitter that he'd "like to hear zero about Afghan refugees until we get every single American out first." A roster of former Trump aides and appointees have promoted narratives of fear and painted the translators and drivers as dangerous, playing to anti-immigrant and nativist corners of the party. But many GOP veterans are taking a different tack, highlighting the service of Afghan allies who served alongside Americans and calling their rescue a moral imperative. No matter the narrative Republicans are spinning, the U.S. is preparing to take in as many as 22,000 refugees on Army bases Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Lee in Virginia. The new arrivals will be resettled in an array of communities across the country. In Texas, where GOP Gov. Greg Abbott refused to participate in the refugee program during the Trump administration, Afghan refugees are slated to be housed at the Fort Bliss military base and others could be settled in an array of metro areas across the state. The Republican Governor of Utah, Spencer J. Cox offered to take in Afghans earlier this week: "I recognize Utah plays no direct role in shaping U.S. diplomatic or military policy, but we have a long history of welcoming refugees from around the world and helping them restart their lives in a new country." (Senate Foreign Relations member Mitt Romney might argue that Utah has SOME role in shaping policy...) Marc Caputo looks at the murky dividing lines emerging among Republicans on refugees: https://politi.co/3AVbjj2 BOOSTER BUZZ — With the news that fully vaccinated U.S. adults who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines will be eligible for a booster eight months after their second dose, Huddle confirmed that the Capitol's Office of the Attending Physician stands ready to dole out the extra shots to lawmakers, staff and others working on Capitol Hill in the coming months, according to multiple sources. The Capitol's top doctor was directed by the fiscal 2022 House Legislative Branch spending bill report to put together a plan for booster shot distribution for the Congressional community and to share the plan with offices ASAP. That directive has only been passed by the House, but with the Biden administration saying that the booster administration is expected to start Sept. 20, the market for boosters might beat the Senate's spending timeline. The attending physician's office is still offering initial inoculations; it isn't too late to get started on the follow up to hot vax summer: help-there's-too-much-happening-in-Congress also is-the-government-going-to-shut-down fall. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment