House overwhelmingly approves new checks for Syrian refugees

House Republicans and Democrats banded together today for a rare veto-proof vote, approving a bill that adds extra layers of scrutiny for Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the United States.

President Barack Obama said yesterday he would kill the Republican-proposed legislation if it reached his desk. His deputies worked hard to convince Democrats to follow the president’s lead. But 47 of them crossed the aisle to side with 242 Republicans on an issue that has become a lightning rod for terrorism fears.

“I cannot sit back and ignore the concerns of my constituents and the American public,” said freshman Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb.

Even Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who opposed the law, refused to strong-arm her colleagues into voting with her.

“I’ve said to them from the start, ‘Nobody’s asked you to do anything. Do whatever works for you, for your district,’” she told reporters.

The Senate has not scheduled a vote on the bill yet, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voiced support for a “pause” in the refugee resettlement process, calling it a responsible decision. Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called efforts to bar Syrians “fear-mongering and bigotry,” raising questions about whether the Senate Republicans can get enough Democratic votes to block the president's promised veto.

Today’s vote came almost a week after the so-called Islamic State terror group launched coordinated attacks in Paris that killed 129 people and left nearly 400 injured. Police found a Syrian passport near the body of one of the attackers. Greek officials later confirmed his fingerprints matched those of a man who arrived in Lesbos last month. That revelation vindicated security hawks, who have for months warned the large numbers of refugees pouring into Europe made it hard to guarantee terrorists would not slip in along with terror victims.

The new legislation, approved 289-137, effectively suspends admissions to the United States for Syrian and Iraqi refugees. It directs the FBI to conduct background checks on all refugees from the two countries and certify to Congress that each one presents no security threat.

Obama maintains the bill would do nothing to improve security and instead will hamper efforts to help “some of the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom are victims of terrorism, and would undermine our partners in the Middle East and Europe in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis.”

Christian relief groups that assist with refugee resettlement agree with the president’s position. They note refugees already go through an intensive screening process that lasts about two years. The U.S. process differs greatly from the situation in Europe, where thousands of refugees are coming across the border every day.

Only 2,174 Syrians have resettled in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001. None have been arrested or deported because of connections to terror groups. The United States currently takes in 70,000 refugees from around the world each year, including many from other countries where terror groups are active. Obama has proposed increasing that number by 10,000, with the majority of those slots allocated to Syrians.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.