W.H.: Republicans ‘More Scared of the NRA’ than Protecting America from Terror

‘Congress are more interested in playing politics, and more scared of the NRA than they are concerned about doing the right thing for our national security’

UNKNOWN MALE: “My question to you is the program as it stands now, was it not sold well enough? Where the final points of it not sold well enough to people on Capitol Hill?” 
EARNEST: “But again, is that an explanation why they voted against it because they didn’t understand what was included in it? Right, I mean, that sort of goes into the substance of what you are saying that a bunch of members of Congress voted in a way that we obviously that disagree with because they didn’t understand what they were voting on? I’m not really sure if that’s worse than just putting the wrong way, or if unwittingly, they voted the wrong way. Here’s the other thing, Joe, that I think probably is deserving of some attention. There is also a certain level of irony associated with that step. We noted that voting to further encumber and bog down the refugee process is not likely to do much to improve the national security of the United States. There are probably some reforms like the Visa waiver program that we are currently discussing with members of the United States Senate that actually could further enhance our national security. There are a number of steps that the Department of Homeland Security has already taken over the last year to strengthen that program, and there may be additional steps we can work with Congress to implement that could strengthen that program. There’s one other thing that Congress could do that would actually enhance our national security. And right now, that relates to the purchase of firearms. Right now, there’s not a law on the books that prevents an individual who is already in the United States, and that we already know is suspected of having links to terrorism, that allows them to go and purchase a weapon. This is particularly ironic because the concerns that were expressed by members of Congress, some members of Congress, was about individuals who are not in the United States and will be subjected to a process of spending two years convincing national security officials that they don’t have links to terrorism. They will only enter the United States when they have persuaded those national security professionals sufficiently that they don’t have links to terrorism. But instead, numbers of Congress are prepared to allow those individuals who are already in the United States, and are suspected of having links to terrorism, from going and pursing a firearm. I think that’s a pretty clear indication that Republicans in Congress are more interested in playing politics, and more scared of the NRA than they are concerned about doing the right thing for our national security.”

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